Earth's Protectors III
by nld200xy
Summary: It has been over twenty years since Machop and Giratina saved the world from Yveltal and Xerneas, but now a brand new evil has risen up. And with the heroes of old too weak to stand up to this threat, once again, a new generation is brought in. Can Machop's daughter and her friends protect Tokyo like she and her friends did?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own the Pokemon franchise or any of its characters. Also, this is the forth story in a series, and while reading the past ones is not completely necessary to understanding this, I still recommend checking those out if you're curious. Also, this is heavily inspired by Kinnikuman, aka, Ultimate Muscle and some Pokemon designs have been altered to work with this kind of story, such as arms for Pokemon who do not have them in the Pokemon franchise and so on. Also, Jackalu is Mega Lucario.

It had been well over thirty years since evil had been vanquished, but as had been made clear many times, such a thing was never meant to last. This was made clear at the start of the new year when a new breed of villains had popped up.

Currently, in Tokyo, a group of teens were being attacked by a pair of such beings. One was a plant-like girl with long green hair made of pedals and a dark purple seed that resembled a crown atop her head. Her head and waist were white and perfectly rounded while her legs were dark purple and resembled fancy, thin boots.

Her partner was a light brown chipmunk with three dark brown triangular markings on his face. He had a green shell that went all the way from his head to his tail, the top resembling a hood with two bristles sticking out of his cheeks and five attached to the top of his head.

The teenagers trembled as one of them whimpered, "What are you gonna do to us?" as the flower girl smirked and said, "We're just gonna have a little fun, isn't that right, Chespin?" the chipmunk nodding and squealing, "Damn right, Tsareena! This is gonna be great!"

But just as they were about to do their absolute worst, a blue lizard-like woman and an armless orange chicken leapt toward them, kicking them on the backs of their heads thus knocking them on their chins. The teens smiled wide as they recognized these two as Tokyo's greatest heroes, Machop and Torchic.

"Get out of here and let us deal with this!" Machop squeaked with a grin as the teens nodded and fled for their lives, remembering to thank them along the way as Torchic sat down and cracked her talons like knuckles while adding, "Even at the age of forty, we still kick ass."

However, they both knew this was not over as Tsareena pushed herself up and scowled at them, Chespin following close behind and growling, "So, you finally decide to show yourselves."

"Wait, you were expecting us?" Machop uttered as Torchic sighed, "Of course they were. We're the only ones left in this area."

"Oh yeah, that's a good point," the lizard woman replied with a light chuckle as Torchic sighed, Tsareena folding her arms and quipping, "Let's see if you two really live up to your reputation."

The heroes nodded and raced toward the two plant-like creatures. Machop leapt toward Tsareena with her arm out, shouting, "MOON HOOK!" while Torchic leapt at Chespin with flames surrounding her feet and barking, "ROARING PHOENIX!"

However, both villains saw this coming as Tsareena leapt up and planted the tips of her feet into Machop's back, exclaiming, "TROP KICK!" while Chespin's bristles extended and bent forward, piercing Torchic's sides thus stopping her in her tracks.

The chicken's eyes were wide with terror as Chespin cupped his hands together, sent them into her gut and shouted, "WOOD HAMMER!"

Both heroes coughed up blood, neither believing that only one hit was enough to knock each of them down. And to make matters worse, they were unable to move as Tsareena sighed, "Pitiful. You two may have been legends way back when, but now, you're too old to face the likes of us."

Machop gritted her teeth and tried to push herself upright only to lose all strength in her arms and fall on her back, uttering, "My god, when did we become so lame?" Torchic equally ashamed of herself for not putting up a better fight. And thus Tsareena and Chespin took off into the night, ready to cause more havoc.

And Tokyo was not the only location. All over the world, people were suffering as a new generation of villains rose up to terrorize them. And much like Machop and Torchic, the heroes of old no longer had the strength to stand up to this threat. As such, there was only one course of action, and this was currently being discussed on a far-off planet simply known as Hero Planet.

A big meeting was held in the aptly named hall of justice with many heroes gathered to hear what the chairman had to suggest. This being in question was a green chrysalis with arms like those of a mantis and a pointy nose-like formation on his back, his face resembling that of a bulldog. His name was Metapod.

"This is getting ridiculous," grunted a white sloth named Vigoroth, whose head was wrapped in a bandage while a thin black and white woman with green hair named Meloetta whimpered, "I used to be better than this."

"Look, look, you're all still decent at what you do," Metapod replied, "It's just, well, these new villains have youth on their side. It's kinda hard for a forty-something year old to take on a fifteen or sixteen year old, right?"

"HOW THE HELL CAN YOU BE SO CASUAL ABOUT THIS!?" Vigoroth retorted, fuming as Meloetta patted her on the shoulder, whimpering, "Vigoroth, your blood pressure," the sloth folding her arms and taking a deep breath.

"Look, I'm just as worried about this as you are," Metapod replied, "And believe you me, this is terrifying, but I already have a solution. It's the same one my grandpa went with and later, my dad would do the same. It's already been proven twice that this really is the best method."

Everyone knew exactly what he meant, and as much as they hated to admit it, he had a point. If they could no longer stand up to the forces of evil, perhaps their kids could, especially since every one of them had not only trained for years to prepare for such a thing but were also old enough. Even so, most of the heroes wished that just this once, they could wait until each kid at least turned eighteen, but time was running out.

Later that evening, Machop was at home after having recovered from the damage dealt earlier. She was currently resting while her husband, a human named Isamu, prepared some tea for her. Once he brought it over, he smiled and said, "Look, it's okay. I'm sure the next time you face those two, you'll kick major ass."

"I don't know," the woman groaned, "Even my loss to Voltorb wasn't this bad," when suddenly, the phone rang. Isamu blinked and walked over to answer it.

After a few seconds, he nodded and said, "It's for you, honey," walking back to her and handing the phone over, the woman holding it up to the side of her head.

After a few seconds, her eyes widened as she said, "Yes, understood. I'll ask her," before hanging up as Isamu enquired, "What was that about? I mean, it's not often you get a call from the chairman of Hero Planet."

"Well, seems Hero Planet's bringing in some new recruits, and they want our little girl to join them," she replied, "And just think, she's only a year younger than I was when I went to Hero School."

Isamu nodded as he and Machop headed upstairs, knocking on their daughter's door. The girl told them to come in as Isamu opened the door, seeing her delivering an onslaught of karate chops to a big punching bag. As it turned out, most of her room was filled with exercise equipment.

The girl in question was named Mapin and much like her mother, she had light blue skin and ridges on her head. The only major difference was that not only was she the only member of her family to have hair, specifically a black ponytail growing out the back of her head, but she was also the first to possess six arms.

"Hey, Mapin, sweetie, it turns out Hero Planet's recruiting people your age to become this generation's heroes and fight evil," Machop stated as the girl put her training on hold, turning to her as Isamu added, "But of course, we'll only let you go if you want to."

"Are you kidding!?" Mapin remarked with a big smile, her eyes sparkling, "I've been preparing for this my entire life!"

And thus the following day, Mapin and over two hundred other aspiring heroes from all over the world were ready to set off to Hero Planet where they would train for a whole month in preparation for the battles on Earth. Those who passed the first semester would graduate and be assigned an area and those who failed would be kept for one more. Though while one month did not sound ideal for any human, this was more than enough time for most heroes.

Within the first week, Mapin had already proven herself a force to be reckoned with as despite the training exercises on Hero Planet being far more intense than what she was used to, her years of preparation on Earth still helped. Weight-lifting was a cinch while even running exercises proved no challenge as her family was known for their good speed.

And during that time, Machop had made friends with two other students. One was a blue seal from France. He had a long white snout and a small moustache. His nose was bright pink and resembled that of a clown and he had tiny ear flaps on the sides of his head. With a light blue ruff around his neck, his name was Popplio.

The other was a brown fox with a cream-coloured collar of fur around her neck, the tip of her tail being the same colour. Her name was Eevee and she hailed from Thailand.

One day after a few training exercises, the group was seated for lunch as Eevee was covered in bruises. As it so happened, the group had been forced to carry boulders strapped to their ankles up a cliff and the fox had tried countless times only to end up failing.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Mapin asked with a concern as Popplio nodded and said, "Oui, you should probably see the nurse."

"No way," Eevee remarked with a forced grin, "This is nothing for me," only for a tall black fox to walk by and sigh, "Keep telling yourself that, Eevee."

This fox in question had fur so thin that one could easily mistake it for skin. She had red eyeballs and yellow stripes on her ears and tail, matching rings on her forehead, shoulders and thighs.

As she walked off to sit by herself at another table, Eevee gritted her teeth and hissed, "Damn you, Umbreon! You think you're so hot, but you're not!"

Popplio and Mapin stared at her as the seal sighed, "Alright, this has gone on long enough. Tell us, what is your problem with your sister?" as Eevee grumbled, "It's the fact that she thinks she's all that. She's always been better than me, and because of this, she always has to rub it in my face. She even told Mom right in front of me that I wasn't fit to be here!"

"Okay, that's going too far," Mapin replied with her eyes wide open, "If anyone in my family said that about me, I'd probably resent them too," as Popplio sighed, not wanting to admit that he did see where Umbreon was coming from to a certain degree.

After all, today was not the only time Eevee had struggled during training. She had proven herself to be arguably the one student with the least potential since day one. Deep down, the seal was just praying she could graduate so there would be a chance of the trio working together on Earth.

And while Mapin and Popplio continued to perform well for the rest of the semester, Eevee seemed to only improve when it came to speed. Her physical strength, on the other hand, was still nothing to write home about while Umbreon's was a lot better than her build implied.

Once the month was over, the students were all lined up outside as their instructor, a blue dog with black markings all over his body along with red paws named Jackalu stood before them. He had a big smile on his face as he stated, "Well, I have to say, you've all done a right good job! And while I'd rather not play favourites, I have a great deal of hope for a certain someone here, namely Crabrawler. Eh? Wink-wink, nudge-nudge, say no more!"

Everyone turned to a crab with a purple shell, white arms, antennae that resembled long slicked hair and blue claws that looked like boxing gloves. He slapped his forehead and groaned, "Dammit, Dad, I told you not to do that."

At that moment, Jackalu's wife, a tall blue pistol shrimp named Clawitzer, walked over and whispered, "Honey, focus," as he laughed nervously and cleared his throat, saying, "Right, anyway, it's time to explain the final exam that will decide whether you will fight on Earth or not."

The students stared as Eevee whispered, "I swear, that guy is such a space case. How is he related to the great Lucario again?" Popplio and Mapin shrugging.

"Now, you see these four rings behind me?" Jackalu asked as he pointed at a row of fighting rings, "Four of you will go up at once, each one choosing one ring. Once there, a hero of old will be chosen at random for you to fight. If you win, we will deem you ready for the battles on Earth. If you lose, you will have to go through another month of training. After all, if you can't defeat old fogies like us, well, what chance do you have on Earth?"

The other teachers groaned and slapped their forehead, one of them sighing, "He put it right, but did he have to call us all fogies? We're only in our forties, for god's sake!"

The students, however, understood perfectly what was going on and thus it was not long until the first four volunteered. And while two of the students defeated their opponents, one of them, specifically a green dinosaur with a bulb growing out of his back aptly named Bulbasaur, did not. He had fallen to a purple centipede named Venipede thanks to his Centipede Steamroller, which involved him spinning into his opponent while energy blades formed on his shoulders.

The dinosaur weakly looked up at Venipede after his loss was official. However, rather than scolding him for his lack of skills, the centipede smiled and said, "Don't worry, I used to be just like you. One of these days, you'll be great," the dinosaur letting down a light tear and saying, "Thank you."

But while this was certainly touching, it filled Eevee with dread. Now it was clear that despite their age weakening them, the heroes of old could still pack a punch meaning she could possibly fail. But when Mapin and Popplio turned to face her, she put on a more serious look and folded her arms, Umbreon shaking her head at the sight of this.

The only student still fighting was Crabrawler, but luckily, he had managed to win his match as he had his opponent, a golem named Gigalith, trapped in his grip as he bent backwards in a bridge formation. He had the golem's wrists and ankles locked while bending his back, shouting, "LONDON BRIDGE!"

The golem let out a light moan and shook his head as Jackalu nodded and exclaimed, "Gigalith has surrendered, therefor Crabrawler has graduated! Good show, my boy! I knew you could do it!" the crab face-palming with embarrassment.

Many more went up as a good percentage of the class managed to pass. Eevee was not the least bit surprised to see Umbreon among them when she went up against a serpent named Gyarados. A dark aura surrounded her legs as she latched them to the serpent's neck, leaping high into the air and leaning backwards. She then took hold of her tail and flipped her one hundred and eighty degrees, shouting, "FULL MOON CRASH!" sending her face into the canvas.

Many stared in admiration as Mapin uttered, "Damn, she beat her in less than a minute," Popplio nodding and adding, "Oui. Everyone else needed at least three."

Eevee clenched her fists and said, "Just you wait, Umbreon. I'm gonna beat my opponent more quickly," as Mapin smiled and replied, "Yeah, I bet you will," only for Popplio to slap his forehead.

Many other matches followed with most of the students dominating. However, there were at least twenty who suffered the same fate as Bulbasaur, such as a woodpecker named Trumbeak who fell to Vigoroth when the sloth pierced her shoulders and slammed her head into the mat.

Soon, it was finally time for the last four to go up, Mapin and her friends being among them. Mapin gave the others all six thumbs up, saying, "Come on, let's try to win at the same time, eh?" Popplio laughing and replying, "That might be impossible, but I can try."

Each fight went on for roughly three minutes, the instructors proving to be more of a threat than expected. Mapin's opponent was a turtle with a boulder for a shell named Golem, and he was currently flying from rope to rope, striking the girl each time he came around. Mapin grimaced, wondering how she could possibly retaliate.

Popplio was not having it much better as his opponent, a two-headed kiwi named Doduo, sent an onslaught of rapid kicks into his back. While the seal was quite fast, he was no match for the speed of these twins as the right head exclaimed, "It's so good to be in the spotlight again!" the left one replying, "Tell me about it, bro!"

However, Eevee had it the absolute worst as she faced off against Clawitzer, the shrimp sending her large claw hard into her face thus causing her to cough up blood, shouting, "CRABHAMMER!"

Jackalu exclaimed, "WAY TO GO, SWEETIE!" as Eevee backed up toward the ropes, resting her arms against them and breathing heavily. Her eyes widened as she thought, 'No way, they expect me to believe the fights on Earth will be worse than this!? They have to be kidding!'

She then looked at her friends as her mind added, 'Oh god, at this rate, none of us will graduate,' her eyes widening when it seemed as if Mapin finally had an idea.

The girl smirked when Golem came at her for the tenth time and threw her arms forward, using as much force as she could to keep him away from her. After a while, he stopped spinning as he poked his head out of his shell to see why, and this was exactly what Mapin wanted as she wrapped her arms around him.

Everyone watched in amazement while she flipped him upside down. She then leapt into the air and spun in a circle, shouting, "MACH HURRICANE!" planting Golem's skull hard into the mat as he coughed up blood, his eyes rolling to the back of his head. Thus Mapin's victory was confirmed, the area erupting with cheers.

Seeing this, Popplio gasped and growled, "NON!" placing his fins firmly against the mat. He then lifted his tail up, causing Doduo to fly off of him and into the air. He then propelled himself up, spinning vertically like a ball before shouting, "BOUNCING BALL STRIKE!" hitting the bird's pelvis with his tail.

Both heads coughed up blood as the twins landed on their back, now out like a light. The seal took a deep breath and grinned, exclaiming, "Come on, Eevee, you can do it!"

The fox's eyes sparkled only for Clawitzer to grab her arm, saying, "You should always pay attention to your opponent during a match," before flinging her into the turnbuckle as Umbreon sighed, "This is just sad."

However, Eevee ignored the pain and gritted her teeth, shouting, "NO! I WILL GRADUATE WITH MY FRIENDS!" before propelling herself away from the pole and planting her feet hard into Clawitzer's gut.

The shrimp winced while the fox latched onto her arm, tripping her and planting her chin into the canvas. She then mounted herself onto the shrimp's back and pulled even harder on her arm, Clawitzer trying her hardest to escape. However, Eevee was so determined to have this victory that she refused to let go and thus Clawitzer ultimately realized she had lost and patted her small claw against the mat.

After a few seconds, it seemed as if the forth hero had already finished his match. As such, Jackalu grinned and exclaimed, "Alright, we have our graduates!" the area erupting with cheers and applause as Eevee held her arms up, thinking, 'I did it! I really did it! In your face-'

However, her eyes and mouth were wide open when she noticed that Umbreon had already left the area. She had her arms folded as she thought, 'If you call that a true victory, I feel sorry for the citizens in the area you're assigned to.'

However, before the fox could confront her sister about this, Mapin gave her a thumb up and said, "Good job," as Popplio nodded and added, "Oui. It was close, but you were victorious in the end."

With all said and done, everyone rested up for a couple of hours before assembling for an assignment meeting. Soon, every graduate would know which city, town or village he or she would protect.

"Well, out of all two hundred and eighty students, two hundred and fifty eight of you passed," Jackalu said with a grin, "I have to say, I'm proud of all of you, especially-" only for Clawitzer to shake her head at him, the dog sighing, "Fine," as Crabrawler breathed a sigh of relief.

"Anyway, whichever area you protect will be based on a couple of things," Jackalu stated, "First will be how you did and the other will be just how well you work with anyone else assigned to the area. After all, each area will have at least two heroes protecting it."

Many breathed a sigh of relief in response to that as it took a load off of their backs. After all, even the best students could only guess how long they could go without needing help, even Umbreon liking the idea of having an ally or two.

With that, Jackalu pulled out the list and said, "First up, Crabrawler," the crab slapping his forehead as his father added, "Because of your impressive work, you have been assigned to Osaka, Japan," many looking envious as the dog then announced that Umbreon would be working alongside him, Eevee fuming and thinking, 'Of course she gets such an important area!'

After a few more students were given their assigned areas, Jackalu stated, "Mapin, you will protect Tokyo, Japan," the girl grinning and replying, "Just like my mom and my grandpa."

"Congratulations," Popplio said with a grin, "Tokyo's not only a very nice place, but a very important one."

However, he was shocked when Jackalu stated, "Popplio, you will be Mapin's ally," Eevee blinking before bowing her head.

Both stared at her with curiosity as she sighed, "I know I probably won't be assigned to the same area, so good job being deemed worthy of such a thing. I'll be sure to email you every day to let you know how I'm-" only to be cut off when Jackalu added, "Oh yeah, Eevee, you will also be stationed in Tokyo."

Eevee's jaw dropped as she turned to face the dog, uttering, "Did I hear that right?" the dog nodding and replying, "Yep. It just feels right, you know?" as even Umbreon could not help but stare wide-eyed at her sister.

While protecting Osaka was certainly a great honour, to be assigned to Tokyo was a much bigger deal. Now she was worried not only about the citizens but her own sister. How would she know the fox would not be killed by the first villain to show up even with the help of Mapin?

Either way, Eevee's shock turned to a big smile as she squealed, "THIS IS GREAT!" giving her friends a big hug as Clawitzer whispered, "Are you sure about this, Jackalu? You know as much as I do that of all the graduates, what was the absolute worst. Her victory over me is nothing worth bragging about. If I hadn't weakened with age, that arm lock would have meant nothing to me."

"Yeah, I know," Jackalu replied, "But she gets along with those two better than anyone else. Besides, you remember what happened to Venipede and Rinko, right? They were both losers who eventually became two of Tokyo's finest. I think the same will happen for her."

"Well, I have seen more convenient things happen in my time," Clawitzer replied with a shrug, "If you truly believe this can work, then I trust you. You may be a bit of a weirdo, but you are usually a good judge of character."

"What do you mean 'usually'?" Jackalu remarked as the shrimp chuckled and gave him a peck on the cheek.

With all said and done, the students were ready to head off to Earth thanks to an assortment of space shuttles, each one able to carry fifty at a time. The government had already chosen their houses and paid for all expenses. Needless to say, most of the graduates were beyond excited to see their new homes, but most of all, they were eager to start saving lives. Many of them had spent years training for this and now it was time for it all to pay off.


	2. Chapter 2

It had been a whole day since the graduates of Hero Planet had been sent off to their assigned areas, and needless to say, the majority of them were excited to see their new homes. The one looking the most forward to this was Eevee as she could only imagine what kind of fancy establishment she would get. After all, this was a place paid for by the government. There was no doubt in her mind that they would only save the best for their graduates.

However, when she was finally dropped off, her jaw dropped when she saw that had been given a condo suite. While it was not bad by any means necessary, she could not believe her own living space would be this small.

However, her disappointment left her as she thought, 'No, it makes sense. After all, they have to provide for all of us. That's over two hundred students, and there will soon be more added to that. Of course they can't afford big mansions for us.'

She then shrugged and said, "Oh well, I'm sure the others have similar living quarters, so this should be fine," as she headed toward her new suite, trying to make the best of the situation.

But as it so happened, the others had gotten nicer houses to say the least. Popplio wound up with a simple, one story house with a pool in the back as he smiled and said, "This is tres magnifique. It's not too big but it's not too small either. I like this," before pulling a photo of his mother out from under his armpit and thinking, 'You see? I do have what it takes to be a hero.'

Meanwhile, Mapin ended up with a nice house of her own, though this one had less luxuries. Either way, she was fine with this as she entered with pride. While she was living on her own, she had also been stationed in her hometown. As such, she could visit her family and her human friends whenever she wanted to, so this could not have been more perfect.

Upon entering, she noticed many things provided that she would certainly need. She had a refrigerator stocked with food that had recently been purchased, a nice comfy bed and more training equipment than she had in her room. She looked over all of this, smiled and said, "Yep, I'm home."

She then turned on the TV to see if there were any reports of recent attacks. After all, both Machop and Torchic were defeated here and one could not help but find it suspicious that there had been no mention of the villains responsible ever since.

And as it so happened, the news was fairly normal. The only crimes mentioned were those commited by humans that the police were more than able to handle.

Mapin narrowed her eyelids and thought, 'Isn't that strange?' before pulling out a small sheet of paper that had her friends' phone numbers. After all, being teenagers, they all had cellphones and that made communicating with one-another much easier.

Thus the girl looked over her contacts and selected Popplio's number, holding the phone up to the side of her head as he answered quickly. He had a big smile while he said, "Bonjour, Mapin. How's your new place? Mine is a dream come true!"

"It's good," Mapin replied with a sigh, "But I can't really enjoy it. I just checked out the news and there's no mention of any villainous activity. I would have thought after a whole month, this place would be crawling with villains."

"Well, I wouldn't read too deep into that myself," Popplio replied, "Apparently, it was a similar case for the generation before us and the one before them."

"That makes it even stranger," Mapin remarked, "Either way, I'm gonna go on patrol once I've settled here. Do you wanna join me?" the seal replying, "Oui. That sounds like a good idea. Besides, we can get to know the people here along the way. Or at least I can. I mean, you grew up here, oui?"

"Yeah, that is true," Mapin replied with a grin as she said a quick goodbye and called up Eevee. Needless to say, the fox was much more excited about this than Popplio, especially since she saw this as an opportunity to defeat a villain before Umbreon could.

After a while, Mapin stepped outside and breathed in the air through her nostrils. She took a deep breath and thought, 'It's only been a month, but it's good to be back,' as she walked along the area, heading toward a specific location that her folks introduced her to long ago. That was where she would meet up with the others.

Though as much as hero work mattered to her, right now, all she could think about was restoring the family honour. After hearing of how these two humiliated her mother, she wanted vengeance. She could not accept anyone else as her first opponent.

And while she walked along, it was just as Popplio said. Since the girl knew most of the people in Tokyo, every one of them gave her a nice greeting, including a few students from the local high school. Needless to say, they were all jealous that Mapin no longer had to go to an Earth school, and the girl did not have the heart to tell them that single month along with her new job was far more stressful than taking classes with them had ever been.

Soon enough, she was standing just one block away from the meeting point, specifically a club that was open during the day. This was where Machop and her friends used to hang out frequently during their time off, so it was very special.

However, when she approached it, she blinked when she heard sounds coming from inside. As such, she immediately thrust the door open and much to her shock, the owner was trapped as a certain chipmunk had his bristles wrapped around him, saying, "I knew you couldn't resist coming here."

Mapin's eyes were wide with terror as Tsareena stated, "Now, now, calm down. We simply needed this man as a hostage," the girl growling, "But how did you know I would be here?"

"We overheard some of your fellow classmates talking about how much you and your family love coming here," Chespin replied with a smirk, "We were willing to wait as long as it took, but hey, you came a lot earlier than expected."

The owner trembled as Tsareena said, "We'll happily let this man go, but on one condition. You must come to the local arena for a one-on-one match with whichever one of us you wish to face. And if you lose, you must hand Tokyo over to us."

"You say that as if I'm the only one protecting this area," Mapin remarked with a smirk only for the flower girl to reply, "Oh no, I am fully aware of your allies. But we only wish to face you. As such, you are not allowed to accept their help otherwise Chespin here will have to get really ugly on him," the chipmunk smirking and poking his bristles lightly against the man's flesh.

Mapin scowled and said, "Well, luckily for you, I fully intended on taking you alone anyway, so I accept! Now let the innocent man go!" only for Tsareena to smirk and ask, "Do you think we're stupid?"

Mapin's eyes widened with fear as the flower girl added, "Only after you come to the arena and swear that no one else will jump in to take over if you lose will we let him go," the owner wanting so much to tell her his life was not worth it.

However, Mapin could tell he was thinking it and shook her head, saying, "Fine. But once that's out of the way, your partner there will let him go, got it?" both villains nodding as Tsareena said, "We'll see you there."

Thus the duo took off with the owner of the club still in Chespin's grasp. Needless to say, Mapin would need to win this match as soon as possible.

But just as she was about to head off to the arena, Eevee and Popplio entered as the seal said, "Ah, bien, you're already here."

"No, things aren't good at all," Mapin sighed as Eevee looked around and asked, "So, is the owner in the back?"

Popplio was afraid of the answer when Mapin sighed, "No, he was just captured by the same villains who defeated my mom," both of her friends gasping.

"Oh my god, we need to go save him!" Eevee squeaked as Mapin sighed, "Look, Eevee, try to calm down. I know how much you especially want to help, but they said they wouldn't let him go unless I and I alone fought them. I hope you understand."

Popplio could tell from the look on her face that Eevee was not the least bit okay with this. Even so, the fox understood entirely and thus she nodded her head. After all, it was not as if Mapin had much of a choice.

"Well, then, at the very least, we'll be there to cheer you on," Popplio said with a supportive smile as Mapin smiled and folded her arms, replying, "Thanks. That's all I could ask for."

With all said and done, the trio headed off to the nearest fighting arena where a news crew was set up out front. As such, a young woman stood in front of the camera and said, "We are here at Nippon Budokan where two villains, Tsareena and Chespin have a hostage with them. From what I can gather, this man is a bartering chip to bring one of Tokyo's new heroes into the ring."

Tsareena smirked and said, "That's right. I'm sure many of you are familiar with Mapin, the daughter of Machop, correct?" the announcer's eyes wide with shock as the flower girl added, "Our plan is to deal with her and finally end the Mach family's stellar reputation! Voltorb came close when he bested Machop back in the day, but he didn't quite make the cut."

"Unfortunately for you, I'm more than capable of that!" came a familiar voice as everyone turned to face Mapin, the girl smirking and adding, "And don't worry about my friends. They're only here for emotional support, so you can let go of that nice man now."

Eevee wanted to lunge at the villains right now, but Popplio held her back and whispered, "Do you want to compromise this?" the fox grumbling and calming down, thinking, 'Dammit! I wanted to make a name for myself before Umbreon could have the chance! She's probably kicking ass right now!'

Even so, seeing the fox being held back put Tsareena's mind at ease while Chespin growled, "Do you honestly expect me to buy that!? If you're truly ready to fight us alone, you'll have your allies head home!" only for Tsareena to hold up her hand, the chipmunk giving her an odd look.

"It's fine," the flower girl said with a smug grin, "They can watch as the people in Tokyo fall to their knees and beg us to spare them," as Chespin folded his arms and retracted his bristles, allowing the owner of the club to escape from them.

The man breathed heavily and turned to Mapin, saying, "Thank you, but you really shouldn't risk the lives of so many just for me."

"Look, if I allowed even one person to die, I would fail in my duty as a hero," Mapin remarked, giving the man a serious look, "Besides, I'm a Mach. There's no way I'll lose," the man nodding and giving her a smile. Just hearing those words alone put his mind at ease.

"Well, then, I'll give you an hour to prepare yourself," Tsareena said with a smile, "Also, I'll be your first opponent. See you inside," as she turned around, Chespin pointing his paw at his eyes before directing it at Eevee, hissing, "I'm watching you."

Mapin took a deep breath while Popplio patted her on the shoulder, asking, "Are you sure about this?" the girl sighing, "Yes. I have no doubt in my mind that they'll both be eating the mat in two minutes tops."

With that, the girl headed to a secluded area to ready herself while Eevee and Popplio got front-row seats in the bleachers. While the fox was still upset that she would not have a chance to prove herself, she still wanted to see Mapin win. After all, it would be wrong to wish for her friend to fail.

Once the hour was up, a young woman sat behind a desk and exclaimed, "Hello, folks, this is your announcer, Yukiko, and today, we're going to witness something that hasn't been seen in years, an official match between good and evil!" the crowd getting restless as she added, "However, this is going to be a very intense match as while Tokyo has three heroes to protect it, it has been agreed that only one hero may represent us today! Needless to say, the stakes are high!"

Strangely enough, no one in the audience looked the least bit frightened by this. This was because every one of them had come because of the news report and were already aware of the fact that Mapin, one they all knew and trusted, was the hero in question.

"Without further ado, let's get this started!" Yukiko exclaimed, "In the red corner is a beautiful yet deadly warrior! Having defeated the legendary Machop just last month, she returns to us with the intent of doing the same to her daughter! Presenting Tsareena!"

The crowd booed and jeered as the flower girl strutted down the aisle with her hand against her hip. Currently, Machop was watching this on TV with her teeth gritted, growling, "Dammit! I just wanna run into that ring and beat the crap out of her smug face!"

"Calm down," Isamu sighed, "You heard the news. Our daughter is the one fighting her," Machop taking a deep breath and replying, "You're right. Once she wipes the floor with both of those smug pricks, I'm gonna call her up and invite her to a celebratory dinner."

Once Tsareena was in the ring, she blew kisses to the crowd and exclaimed, "Get used to me, folks, for I'm gonna be your new queen!" the audience booing her even louder.

"Wow, what a cliched reaction," Chespin scoffed with his arms folded, Yukiko stating, "And in the blue corner, fighting for our lives is the daughter of the world champion herself! Having grown up here, her amazing strength is known to all of us! Give a round of applause for Mapin!"

The crowd went wild when Mapin sprinted toward the crowd. She then leapt forward, performed a handstand and flipped herself into the ring, spreading out her arms and waving for the crowd. This was her first chance to make a true impression and needless to say, it had worked.

The audience was beyond excited as one girl squealed, "I know her!" another gasping, "Me too!" as if this information had not just been made obvious by Yukiko.

However, what really got Mapin even more motivated was when a buff boy shrugged and said, "You know, I always thought she was kinda cute," her cheeks turning bright pink. As it so happened, this boy was Muto, the captain of the football team in the school she used to go to. She had a crush on him since the day she saw him play, so hearing these words made her heart race.

Tsareena whistled and said, "I see we're playing for more than just Tokyo's safety. Better be a good challenge for me," as Mapin scowled, Popplio sighing, "I really hope she can stay focused."

Eevee gave him a look of confusion but said nothing. However, the seal was right. Mapin already seemed to have lost a bit of concentrations, and if she were to get carried away, one could only guess how this would end.

Just as Yukiko was about to ring the starting bell, Mapin said, "Before we begin, I need to know something because this happened to both my mom and my grandpa."

Tsareena blinked as Chespin asked, "Do you know what she's referring to?" the flower girl shrugging.

"You know exactly what I mean!" Mapin snapped, pointing at Tsareena, "You defeated both my mom and Torchic a month ago! You could have easily enslaved Tokyo during that time, but instead, you hid in the shadows even though there was no one around who could have possibly stopped you! What's up with that!?" the area going silent until Eevee uttered, "You know, that's actually a good point."

Chespin smirked and remarked, "I can field that one. You see, while taking down the former champion of the world is certainly a good start, when we heard Hero Planet was preparing a new generation of heroes, we saw a golden opportunity."

Tsareena nodded and explained, "You see, taking down two heroes past their prime is hardly what one would call impressive. We figured if we took down a much younger hero, it would make us come off as much more of a threat. Thus we decided to wait until Hero Planet's government brought us our key to success, and they delivered more than we bargained for."

Mapin stood silently for a few seconds before folding her arms and smirking as she scoffed, "That was dumb! You could have control over Tokyo but you decided to wager it all on the off-chance that you could defeat me!"

With that, she pointed at Yukiko and exclaimed, "Ring that bell so I can wipe the floor with her smug face!" the woman nodding and doing just that, exclaiming, "Let the match begin!"

Mapin wasted no time racing toward Tsareena as she sent a three-handed karate chop into her side. The crowd went wild as the flower girl winced, Mapin racing behind her and wrapping her arms around her waist. And with Tsareena trapped in place, the muscle-bound girl lifted her up and leaned backward, aiming the back of her head toward the canvas.

"What an incredible start!" Yukiko exclaimed, "Not only has Mapin landed three karate chops at once, but she has also connected a perfectly executed suplex! This might be a very short match, folks!"

However, Popplio did not seem all that confident as her narrowed his eyelids, Eevee turning to him and uttering, "What's wrong? She's doing great," the seal shaking his head and pointing at Tsareena.

The cheers came to a halt as everyone soon noticed what Popplio had. Tsareena's head had not actually made contact with the mat as one of the pedals that made up her hair had lowered itself and was pressed up against the surface.

Chespin smirked and said, "Sorry, but that's not gonna help," Mapin's eyes wide open as Tsareena said, "I'll admit, you are very strong, but that was incredibly rash."

Before the girl could even respond, Tsareena wrapped her legs around her neck. Then using the big pedal to hold herself up, she proceeded to lift Mapin high above her, planting her skull into the mat with a frankensteiner.

The crowd gasped as Yukiko exclaimed, "After countering Mapin's suplex, Tsareena has retaliated with a slam of her own! The only difference is that this one actually dealt damage!" as Mapin rolled away, a look of terror in her eyes.

However, that soon left her when Popplio barked, "Don't let that get to you!" Eevee blinking as he added, "Now you know that her pedals are more than just a decoration! Take advantage of that knowledge! Try not to slam her anymore and you'll be fine!"

Mapin took a deep breath and nodded as she grunted, "He's right," and raced toward Tsareena with her arms at the ready again. And once she was close enough, she unleashed a barrage of rapid punches, shouting, "MACH GATLING!"

However, while the move was quick, Tsareena did not seem to see it as a threat. Thus she started swaying left and right, easily avoiding the punches as everyone stared in shock, Yukiko exclaiming, "I can't believe what I'm seeing, folks! Somehow, Tsareena is dodging every single one of these punches with little to no effort!"

After a few seconds, Tsareena noticed Mapin starting to breathe at an alarming rate, a wicked smile on her face as she thought, 'Perfect,' thus she spun her body around and exclaimed, "TROPICAL PIROUETTE!" a yellow light surrounding her leg while she sent it hard into Mapin's side.

The girl's eyes were wide with shock as she could not believe how much that hurt. And it only got worse when Tsareena took full advantage of this, unleashing an onslaught of rapid kicks to her face, the same glow encompassing her legs.

"TROPICAL MACHINEGUN!" the flower girl exclaimed as she ended her assault with a hard kick, this one sending Mapin flying head-first into the turnbuckle while the crowd had no idea how to react to this. How could a member of the Mach family perform this horribly?

"Sacre bleu!" Popplio groaned as Yukiko announced the events, "She totally got carried away! She should have saved that move for a more opportune moment!"

Eevee laughed nervously and uttered, "It's okay. She's not down for the count or anything. She just has to get right back up."

Unfortunately, even Mapin was starting to doubt her chances now. The match had only gone for a little over two minutes and she already felt incredibly weak while Tsareena was still in really good condition. All the while, Chespin clapped his hands and squealed, "You're amazing, Tsareena!"

"Thanks," the flower girl replied, "But I already knew that. Though I have to admit, I'm really disappointed, Mapin. I thought a member of the Mach family would be a much bigger challenge."

"SHUT UP!" Mapin retorted, fury taking over when suddenly, a violet aura surrounded her hands, "So you got in a few lucky hits! Big deal! I can still beat you!"

The crowd was unsure what to think of this as Eevee uttered, "Did you know she could do that?" Popplio shaking his head and replying, "This is the first time I've ever seen that. What is it, though?"

Whatever the case, it seemed as if Mapin might very well have more of a chance as she charged at Tsareena, the flower girl gracefully dodging to the side and sending another kick into the girl's waist. However, Mapin did not take in nearly as much pain as she smirked and said, "Didn't hurt."

Chespin and Tsareena had lost their confidence right then and there as the flower girl retorted, "YOU'RE LYING!" delivering another kick only to get the same results. Thus Mapin took full advantage of this and latched onto Tsareena's ankle, twisting it hard enough to cause her to fall on her back.

The crowd cheered wildly while Mapin took full advantage of this, leaping into the air with her arms raised and planting her elbows hard into her downed opponent. And before Tsareena could do anymore, Mapin lifted her up and flipped her upside down, wrapping all six of her arms around her with a smirk on her face.

The area erupted with cheers as Yukiko stated, "It was looking really bad, but now it looks like Mapin has this match in the bag!" Eevee squealing, "YEAH, THAT'S THE MAPIN I KNOW!"

Popplio, meanwhile, was spellbound as he said, "Fascinating. So she had power like that hidden inside her all this time."

"It's time to end this!" Mapin exclaimed when suddenly, the aura on her hands left her. However, she did not seem to notice this as she leapt into the air, spinning like a tornado and shouting, "MACH HURRICANE!"

But just as the audience was ready to cheer for what seemed to be Mapin's inevitable victory, the area went silent when all three of Tsareena's pedals lowered themselves toward the mat. Thus they wound up hitting the canvas as opposed to the flower girl's head, Tsareena taking many deep breaths before realizing she was safe. As such, she smirked and latched her ankles on Mapin's neck once again.

"I have to admit, that really surprised me," she said as the audience groaned, Eevee whimpering, "Are you kidding me? She was so close," Popplio looking down as he was equally disappointed.

Things only got worse when Tsareena used her pedals to propel herself and Mapin into the air, flipping one hundred and eighty degrees. To make matters worse, the girl was spellbound after her best move had failed and thus she could not do a thing as her skull made contact with the canvas. Thus her grip on Tsareena loosened, allowing the flower girl to free herself.

Seeing as Mapin was no longer focused enough to fight back, Tsareena saw this as a perfect opportunity to end the match as she leapt up onto the top rope, her arms folded. All went silent among the crowd while Yukiko said, "This could be it, folks. If Mapin doesn't act fast, all of her efforts could be in vain."

"NON!" Popplio gasped, "COME ON, MAPIN! YOU'RE SO MUCH BETTER THAN THIS! YOUR FAMILY IS KNOWN TO SUSTAIN EXTREME AMOUNTS OF PAIN!" Eevee cheering as well.

Unfortunately, it was too late as Tsareena leapt over Mapin and cupped her feet together. The same yellow glow from before surrounded them while she exclaimed, "TROP KICK!" planting them hard Mapin's chest.

The girl coughed up blood as her eyes rolled to the back of her head. And after a few seconds, it was clear that she would not be able to get up. Thus Yukiko rang the bell and exclaimed, "I can't believe it, but Mapin has lost! Tsareena is the winner, therefor she and Chespin now have control over Tokyo!"

Eevee's jaw dropped as Popplio planted his forehead against the guardrail in front of him. As much as he criticized Mapin, he truly believed she had what it took to defeat at least one of the two villains. And yet it seemed as if all hope was lost.


	3. Chapter 3

This was truly a dark day for Tokyo. Despite all of her best efforts and determination, Mapin had fallen to the might of Tsareena. Chespin smiled wide and applauded her while everyone else stared in absolute horror. Was this really it?

Machop tensed up, trembling all over as she whimpered, "Did I just see that?" Isamu slowly nodding his head and sighing, "As much as I'd like to believe otherwise, yes, we did."

"Non, this isn't happening," Popplio groaned, rubbing his scalp as Eevee frowned and whispered, "Hold on, I got a plan."

The seal stared at her as she rose up from her seat, squeaking, "Hey!" Tsareena turning and raising an eyebrow, asking, "Excuse me, but who do you think you are to address me like that?"

Everyone else stared as the fox smirked and said, "You know, Tsareena, I just figured out the real reason you didn't want to face me or my friend here," Popplio's eyes going wide as the flower girl scowled, Chespin uttering, "Wait, was there another motive?"

"Of course there was!" Eevee retorted, "It's because you knew you were outnumbered and that there was no way you and your ally there could take over Tokyo if you had to fight all three of us! So you only chose Mapin knowing only one opponent would be enough! I'm willing to bet that if she beat you, you would have taken the coward's route and had her fight Chespin immediately afterwards!"

The crowd was unsure how to respond to this as Tsareena's eye twitched, Chespin pleading, "Hey, don't let her get to you! She's just an arrogant brat, nothing more!" the flower girl breathing a sigh of relief.

However, now Popplio could see what Eevee was trying to do, and while it did not feel right, this truly seemed like the best option. As such, he rose from his seat and folded his flippers, sighing, "The fact that you're not even trying to defend yourself only tells me that mon ami here is right! If you and your comrade were true masters of evil, you would take all three of us before even thinking of enslaving Tokyo's citizens!"

Chespin was about to retort, but even he felt irritated by these words as he frowned, growling, "You know, that annoying seal has a point. Imagine how much more respect we'd have if we took down every hero stationed in Tokyo instead of just one. Besides, there's no way any of them could provide a bigger challenge."

Tsareena took a deep breath and folded her arms before saying, "Agreed," before pointing at Eevee and snapping, "However, I would prefer to face you first!"

Chespin looked pleadingly at her, the flower girl smiling and saying, "Don't worry. I'll let you take the arrogant seal afterwards."

Now Popplio was not so sure. As much as he wanted to have faith in Eevee, he had a feeling she might not be ready for this. But even so, it was too late as the fox smirked and happily agreed to Tsareena's terms without a second thought. After all, as much as she wanted to protect Tokyo, she also wanted to defeat a villain before her sister could. There was no way she would turn this chance down.

"How's about I give you an hour to ready yourself?" Tsareena asked only for Eevee to shake her head and remark, "I don't need an hour! I'll take you right now!" as Popplio's eyes widened, the seal barking, "Quoi!?"

Even Chespin thought this was a bad move as he uttered, "Don't. Think about how much damage-" only for Tsareena to ignore his words and say, "I admire your spirit. What's your name?"

"It's Eevee," the fox replied, "Don't you forget it," as Tsareena nodded and said, "Eevee. That's a nice name for my third victim."

While Chespin was worried about Tsareena, Popplio was much more concerned for Eevee. After all, it was as Clawitzer said. The fox was the worst of all the Hero Planet graduates, not to mention she had been given no time to train for this event. If anything, even a small workout could have made a big difference, but it was too late now.

At the very least, Tsareena agreed to give Eevee a few minutes to prepare an entrance. After all, it did not feel right for her to start the match without giving the fox that much.

As such, Eevee headed to the back to ready herself while Mapin was removed from the ring and placed on a bench to rest. Popplio had left his seat and relocated to that very spot so he could keep an eye on her. It was said that heroes could recover from extensive damage more quickly than a human, but he still had every reason to worry.

While the wait was short, though, the crowd was once again restless, but for a different reason. Many of them were wondering if this Eevee could really do what Mapin failed to do. And if she were to lose, who was to say Popplio was good enough? After all, while they knew Mapin very well, they knew nothing about her new friends.

However, their thoughts would have to come to a halt as just one minute before the match was to begin, they noticed Machop and Isamu racing into the area, breathing heavily while they made her way over to Mapin. Popplio bowed his head and said, "Bonjour. You are Mapin's mama, Machop, oui? I am Popplio."

"That's right," the woman replied with a light smile, "As soon as I saw her loss, I knew I'd have to be by her side until she wakes up. I know she'd rather be independent considering her position, but hey, how many Hero Planet graduates live this close to their parents, right?"

Popplio then noticed Isamu as he smiled and said, "Hey, I'm Mapin's dad, but you can call me Isamu," holding out his hand. The seal shook it with a light smile, saying, "Don't feel too bad. I'm sure this loss is a one-time thing and won't happen again," not sure if he really meant that or not.

"Oh, there's no doubt about that," Machop replied, "After all, she put up a better fight than I did when I fought Voltorb," Isamu sighing, "Yeah, I still refuse to watch that fight online. The Machop I know performs miracles in the ring," kissing her on the cheek.

Though both parents were still upset as Machop sighed, "Even so, it hardly matters since she probably won't get another chance to fight evil!" Popplio shaking his head and replying, "Not true."

Machop and Isamu gave him an odd look as he explained, "If you had watched a little bit longer, you'd know that our good friend, Eevee, convinced Tsareena and Chespin to challenge all of us for control over Tokyo."

Machop blinked and uttered, "Wow, I remember Mama doing the exact same thing when Daddy was too weak to fight Scrafty and Lucario after defeating Rotom. Our little girl has some great friends," a sweet smile forming as Isamu nodded in agreement.

And with that, both decided to stay by Mapin's side along with Popplio as Chespin watched this with a smirk, thinking, 'They really think this reprieve is going to save them? I was scared for Tsareena's well-being at first, but there's no way those two losers could be more threatening than Mapin.'

He then turned to Yukiko and snapped, "Hey, the match was supposed to start a couple of minutes ago!" the announcer gasping, "Right! Sorry! I was distracted by Machop's presence!" thus the woman exclaimed, "Ladies and gentlemen, it is now time for the originally unplanned second match to decide Tokyo's fate! Mapin put up a good fight, but let's see if her partner can finish what she started!"

Eevee stood near one of the two entrances and thought, 'I would be annoyed by the hold-up, but it's good to see that Mapin's folks are here. Don't worry, I'll win this and avenge your daughter while also showing Umbreon who the real star of this family is!'

"In the red corner, once again representing the side of evil is a flower who's more deadly than she looks!" Yukiko exclaimed, "She has not only bested the former champion but also her daughter! Tsareena, everybody!" the crowd now afraid to boo her as she twirled toward the ring. She then leapt up into it and landed delicately on one foot, blowing a kiss to the crowd and winking.

'That's right, now that their saviour has been defeated, they lack confidence,' Tsareena thought with a wicked smirk, Chespin rather liking the sight of this as well.

Machop gritted her teeth and growled, "Wipe that smug look off her face, Eevee," as Isamu patted her on the shoulder, Popplio thinking, 'So that's where she gets her rash way of thinking from.'

"And in the blue corner," Yukiko stated, "is a newcomer with a lot of spirit! She is a feisty fox who we hope can turn some heads and give us hope! Give a warm welcome to Eevee!" the fox performing a series of somersaults toward the ring and propelling herself toward the mat much like Mapin had done. But rather than landing on her feet, she instead performed a handstand with only one paw, spreading her free arm out.

Seeing this gave the crowd a slight boost in confidence as they smiled and let out loud cheers. They had been terrified before, but now they believed that this Eevee could possibly save them from certain doom. After all, back when Machop lost to Voltorb, it was a human who finished what she started. Who was to say this fox who was only two thirds of Tsareena's height could not pull that off as well?

Tsareena smiled and said, "I said it before and I'll say it again. Your spirit is commendable. But mark my words, this match is still mine, and when my partner deals with your other friend, Tokyo will be ours to command."

"When is such a bold term," Eevee remarked with a smirk as both fighters distanced themselves from one-another, Yukiko nodding and ringing the bell to signal the start of the match.

Much like Mapin, Eevee wasted no time racing toward Tsareena while the flower girl readied her left leg for a counterattack. However, the fox saw this coming and swerved to her own left, sending a roundhouse of her own into Tsareena's side.

The flower girl winced as Eevee sent another kick into the same spot. She then flipped backwards and performed a handstand, sending both of her feet into the flower girl's cheek, the crowd going wild.

"And already, Eevee is proving to be a major threat as she lands a series of kicks!" Yukiko exclaimed as Chespin spat, "ARE YOU ALRIGHT, TSAREENA!?"

Tsareena groaned and backed away, thinking, 'How did those kicks hurt so much? Those were nothing special,' before shaking her head as her mind added, 'No, that was pure luck. Now that I know how fast she is, there's no way I'll let myself take in more hits like that.'

With that in mind, the flower girl gave her chipmunk companion a smile and a nod. All the while, Eevee had a proud grin on her face. She could not believe how easy that had been, especially when Clawitzer gave her much more trouble within that same time frame.

With her confidence even higher than before, the fox raced toward Tsareena and prepared another kick. However, this time the flower girl was prepared as she lifted up one leg, twirling and shouting, "TROPICAL PIROUETTE!"

Eevee was unable to respond when the same yellow glow from before covered the leg. Thus when it collided with the fox's, it easily overpowered her thus stopping her attack as she fell on her back. To make matters worse, her leg was now in pain as she groaned, grabbing hold of it and rocking back and forth.

"One hit and you're already suffering?" Tsareena asked tauntingly, "That's disappointing," as she leapt up into the air and planted both her feet into the fox's gut, exclaiming, "TROP KICK!"

The crowd gasped as Eevee was already coughing up blood. Her eyes were wide with terror while she thought, 'Oh my god, this is worse than fighting a teacher on Hero Planet!'

Popplio gasped, "Non!" as Machop and Isamu gulped, hoping Eevee could turn this around.

Unfortunately, it looked like such a thing might not happen when Tsareena kicked her hard in the side of the head, sending her tumbling along the mat and into the turnbuckle. Eevee winced in pain but still managed to push herself up, breathing heavily and growled, "Don't think for a minute that you've won! I'm just getting started!"

As such, she once again raced toward Tsareena as Popplio snapped, "Come on, use your head for once!" but it was too late when the flower girl delivered another strong kick to Eevee's gut. Thus the fox backed up and clutched onto it while Tsareena sighed, "Those three kicks of yours certainly caught me off guard, but now that I've seen how fast you are, I'm not going to let you hit me again. Just give up."

Eevee took many deep breaths as Isamu sighed, "She's taking the right approach by not attempting to slam her opponent, but unless she gets her head in the game and starts strategizing, she's going to lose," Machop nodding and grunting, "I know. She's fighting like I used to."

But before either one could point this out to Eevee, it seemed like it was too late as Tsareena smirked and leapt at the fox. She then latched her legs around her neck and leaned backward, planting her pedals against the canvas and saying, "Well, it's been fun, but I'm bored now."

With that, she lifted Eevee up for a frankensteiner. And with Eevee's head planted into the canvas, everyone assumed the worst when Tsareena released her hold, allowing her to collapse.

Popplio's jaw dropped as he groaned, "Oh non. Please tell me this isn't really the end!"

"Despite her best efforts, Eevee seems to have fallen to the might of Tsareena's frankensteiner," Yukiko stated, "At this rate, her partner will be the only one standing between these two villains and their enslavement of us all."

Chespin, meanwhile, breathed a sigh of relief and thought, 'I thought for sure she might have taken in too much damage to handle this, but thank god I was wrong. Tsareena really is amazing.'

But as the flower girl turned her back to Eevee and winked at the crowd, saying, "Gaze upon the face of your new mistress," all went silent when the fox slowly opened her eyes and grunted, "No!"

Before Tsareena could even react, the fox pushed herself up and sent a hard two-legged kick into the back of her head. For whatever reason, this one kick was enough to knock the flower girl down as Eevee landed on her back, lifting up her left leg for a Boston crab, the crowd going wild.

"Just as it seemed like the end, Eevee rises up once more and gets the advantage back!" Yukiko exclaimed as Popplio blinked as even he could not believe what he was seeing.

However, Machop was not too surprised as she folded her arms and sighed, "Just like me and my friends back in the day, eh? Nothing but close calls and miraculous comebacks," Isamu nodding and replying, "Yep, those were among the many miracles you'd perform."

However, Tsareena refused to let it end here as she spat, "NO!" raising her middle pedal and launching Eevee off of her back like a shovel. But as she rose to her feet, she winced and thought, 'What's wrong with me? First that weak kick knocks me down and now this? I need to end this as soon as possible.'

As such, she leapt up to Eevee's level as the crowd stared in horror. However, the fox refused to let herself take in another hit and thus managed to regain balance and send her feet hard into Tsareena's skull. This weakened her just enough for the fox to latch her ankles around her neck with a childish smirk as now she was filled to the brim with excitement and motivation.

'Here it is!' Eevee thought as she flipped Tsareena one hundred and eighty degrees, 'My moment to shine!' as she aimed the flower girl's face toward the canvas, knocking exactly what would happen if she tried any other part of the head.

And sure enough, this prove effective as while the pedals lowered themselves, they were not low enough to prevent Tsareena's collision with the mat. As such, her forehead was now open and leaking a mixture of water and blood, Eevee releasing her hold and allowing her to collapse.

The area went silent, Chespin shouting, "TSAREENA, GET UP! I KNOW YOU CAN HANDLE MUCH MORE THAN THAT!"

Unfortunately for him, the flower girl was unable to move an inch, Popplio blinking and asking, "Did she actually-?" Machop and Isamu both grinning as Yukiko rang the bell, shouting, "And after a very intense match, Eevee has defeated Tsareena with the exact same move that almost defeated her!"

The area erupted with heavy cheers and applause, Eevee smiling wide and lifting her arms in the air. Popplio smiled and said, "I have to admit, aiming her face toward the mat was actually pretty smart. Maybe she does have what it takes."

Machop nodded and said nothing as Isamu breathed a sigh of relief, saying, "I guess there's hope for us after all."

Chespin climbed into the ring and poked Tsareena, uttering, "Are you okay?" only to see that she truly was unconscious. Thus he frowned and growled, "Alright, Eevee, mark my words! After I wipe the mat with your friend over there, I'm gonna make you pay for this!"

"Oh yeah?" Eevee retorted, "I'd love to see you try, but don't get too cocky. Popplio's no pushover either," the seal folding his flippers and saying, "Oui."

"So, his name's Popplio," Chespin remarked, "I'll need to keep that in mind when I make him my second victim, and unlike Tsareena, I really will do it! Just watch me! Like she did with Eevee, I'll give you a few minutes to prepare, but that's it!"

With that, the chipmunk exited the area as Machop narrowed her eyelids, Isamu asking, "What's up, honey?" the woman growling, "I think I just realized who Chespin is. I can't believe I didn't see it sooner."

The man was about to question this before blinking and uttering, "You're right. It's so obvious," as Popplio shrugged his shoulders and headed off to prepare an entrance.

As he passed by Eevee, the fox gave him a thumb up, saying, "Give him Hell," the seal nodding and replying, "Oui."

When Popplio entered the back area, he took a deep breath and pulled out the photo of his mom from under his armpit. He then frowned and said, "I hope you're watching this, Mama. I'm going to show you just how wrong you were about moi."

Popplio's mother was a rather beautiful seal named Primarina. She was tall and slender and had white fur with her tail covered in a blue dress specifically designed to match that of its mermaid-like figure. Like Popplio, she had a round pink nose, though hers was much smaller. She also had flowing light blue hair, dark blue eyes and a tiara made from pearls and a large clam shell.

Popplio remembered exactly how Primarina reacted when she received the same phone call everyone else's parents did prior to the first semester. Unlike the others, she could not have been more surprised, especially since her family had never fought evil. They had always been circus performers, so hero work was the last thing she wanted for her son.

It was unfortunate for her that Popplio had overheard her ask 'You want my son for what?' This sparked his curiosity as he used a separate home phone to listen in on the conversation, but he pretended not to know any of it when his mother refused to share such information. Though what he did hear was her talking about it with his father when they believed he was in bed.

All he needed to hear was that she had no confidence that he could possibly be a fighter. And that was incentive enough for him to run away from the circus in the middle of the night, leaving behind a note to let his parents know that he had gone to the space station to be picked up for his training. He knew his mother would panic, but he knew that if he could at least defeat one villain, she would likely change her mind and finally approve of his goal.


	4. Chapter 4

Much like before, the tensions were high as everyone really hoped Popplio could win his match with Chespin. Sure, Eevee could easily take his place, but after her match, one could only guess how much rest she would need before fighting again.

And to make matters worse, Mapin was still out cold, so it was not as if she could fight again even if Chespin agreed to such a thing. In short, the fate of Tokyo truly seemed to lie on Popplio's shoulders right now.

While waiting for the match to start, Eevee turned to Machop and thought, 'I can't believe I'm sitting right next to the former champion of the world.'

But before she could attempt to start a conversation, Yukiko exclaimed, "Alright, folks, we've waited long enough! It's now time for the next match to decide Tokyo's fate! Whether or not it's the last one will depend on the outcome, but either way, tensions are still really high!"

She then directed everyone's attention to the Western entrance, exclaiming, "In the red corner is the same chipmunk who defeated the mighty Torchic last month! He has already shown how deadly he is as those spikes on his cheeks aren't just for show! Introducing Chespin!"

Feeling more confident after seeing Eevee defeat the same villain who beat Mapin, the crowd had no problem booing him as he folded his arms, barking, "Wow, what a cliched response to my presence! You should try out for a Saturday morning cartoon or something!" before lowering his eyelids and sticking his tongue out. Needless to say, this only riled up the crowd even more.

As he entered the ring, he turned and looked at the unconscious Tsareena who was currently leaned up against a wall. He nodded his head and thought, 'Don't worry, Tsareena. You've done a lot. I'll finish what you started and make both our dreams a reality.'

"And in the blue corner," Yukiko stated, "another cute but intimidating newcomer to the scene, he shows just as much spirit and determination as Eevee! And he may possibly surprise us just as much if not more! Everyone, put your hands together for Popplio!"

The crowd applauded the seal as he entered the area. However, the reaction lowered to mere clapping when they saw the seal casually sliding toward the ring like a normal, everyday seal. He had a serious look on his face while he climbed into the ring.

But as soon as he did so, he sported a more dumbfounded look and turned to the crowd, asking, "What was that?" as Eevee replied, "I think they were disappointed that you didn't give a dazzling entrance."

Chespin nodded and replied, "I agree. When I see someone like you, I at least expect a big spectacle," as the seal growled and retorted, "Oh, I get it! Just because I have a big red nose and ruffles, that means I have to act like a clown for your amusement!"

The chipmunk winced and uttered, "Okay, okay, I get it," before shaking his head and adding, "It doesn't matter anyway. What does matter is me wiping the canvas with your face."

"I think it mattered," Eevee murmured while pouting and poking her fingers together, "I was looking forward to his first entrance."

Machop laughed nervously and said, "You might get a chance to see him put on a show later. I was exactly the same when I started out, but now I'm well known for my ridiculous entrances, a tradition my grandpa started."

Isamu nodded and said, "I'm still not completely used to them, but hey, they always did help you get over any anxiety you had before a match," as Eevee's eyes sparkled, the fox thinking, 'Wow, a line of champions got better from over-the-top entrances. I should try that before my next match!'

During this time, Primarina had just finished a performance and was bathing in her trailer while looking up at a single light bulb that hung above her. For some reason, it reminded her of her son's nose as she let out a sigh.

Her train of thought suddenly came to a halt when her husband exclaimed, "Hey, honey, you might wanna watch the sports network right now! Our son has already gotten into his first fight!"

The seal gasped and immediately leapt out of the bath, drying herself off and putting her dress back on. She then headed toward the area and took a seat in front the TV, sighing, "Oh, Ames, I really hope he knows what he's doing. I was really hoping he'd return after spending a few days in Hero School. Now I wish I had actually gone there myself."

She then let down tears as her husband, Ames, patted her on the shoulder and replied, "I didn't have much faith in him either, but the fact that he was able to graduate tells me he might very well be ready for this. We just have to believe in him right now."

After having enough time to get over the lack of a grand entrance, the crowd was once again fully supportive of Popplio as Yukiko stated, "Well, folks, the combatants are set! Without further ado, let us begin!" ringing the bell.

Unlike Mapin and Eevee, Popplio knew better than to rush toward his opponent. As such, he held his ground and signalled Chespin to come at him, the chipmunk smirking and saying, "Big mistake."

He then raced forward only for the seal to leap over his head and send his tail hard into his face. The chipmunk backed up and rubbed the spot, Popplio not giving him a second to plan anything else as he sent a karate chop into his skull.

The crowd went wild while Popplio backed up with a smirk on his face, Eevee squealing, "Way to go!" Machop nodding and saying, "Not bad."

However, Popplio knew he had to be careful. After all, the other matches started heavily in his friends' favour only to become much more difficult. There was no way the seal would allow Chespin to deal a ton of damage to him.

Unfortunately, the chipmunk seemed to realize this as he thought, 'Oh, I see what you did back there. You made me drop my guard. Well, it's not gonna work a second time,' a wicked smile forming on his face while he raced toward the seal once more.

Popplio smiled with confidence and waited for Chespin to get close enough. And once he was close enough, the seal leapt toward him with his tail at the ready only for Chespin to smirk and extend his bristles. The crowd gasped as the tips pierced the incoming tail, Popplio crying out in agony when small drops of blood dripped from the holes that formed.

"POPPLIO!" Eevee squeaked while Chespin leaned backward, planting the seal's chin into the canvas. But it did not end there as he removed the bristles briefly just so he could turn around and pierce his flesh again. He then lifted Popplio up and unleashed a barrage of punches into his gut, the crowd staring in horror.

"After a good start, Popplio has once again met a similar fate to that of his comrades," Yukiko stated, "All it took was for him to get pierced once as he's now a sitting duck while Chespin wails on him."

While Chespin may not have been terribly strong, his punches were fast and precise. As such, he had already managed to deal more than twenty as Popplio's eyes and mouth were wide with terror. The fight had not even exceeded two minutes and it already looked like he would lose for sure.

However, after a few more seconds, Chespin ended his assault and said, "I think that should be good. I'd rather take you down in a much more satisfying manner," before latching onto Popplio's shoulders and leaping high into the air, shouting, "NEEDLE SUPLEX!"

Panic spread through the arena as the seal's skull made contact with the canvas. Eevee covered her eyes while Machop and Isamu stared in horror, Chespin removing his bristles and allowing Popplio to collapse. And all the while, Yukiko stared and uttered, "And with that, it looks like Popplio might have already lost."

"No!" Eevee cried out, clutching the sides of her head and whimpering, "Tell me that's not it! He took in all sorts of torment from Doduo and still came out on top!"

"Yes, but even if he did, those two are in their forties," Machop groaned, "It was the same for us. The fights on Hero Planet were challenging, but they were nowhere near as bad as the younger fighters here on Earth."

"I have to admit, I am disappointed, but a win's a win, I guess," Chespin said with a smug look and a shrug, "Go on, announcer lady, make my victory official."

Yukiko gulped and uttered, "Uh, yeah, of course," trembling while she rose the bell. But just as she was ready to lower it, Popplio growled, "DON'T YOU DARE!" before planting his fins firmly against the mat and pushing himself upright.

The crowd gasped while Chespin turned, his eyes and mouth wide with shock as he spat, "OH MY GOD! I HONESTLY THOUGHT THAT WOULD BE GOOD ENOUGH!" the seal smirking and saying, "You'll have to try harder than that to best moi, mon amis."

Eevee blinked as a wide smile formed on her face. Machop and Isamu breathed a simultaneous sigh of relief while the fox clapped and cheered wildly, squealing, "I knew there was no way that would be enough to beat him!"

But while Popplio looked like the damage meant nothing to him, he felt immense pain right now. After all, while the punches were one thing, being pierced was another. The various holes on his skin along with the blood running down his tail and sides was alarming to say the least.

However, he had to endure this and prove that his mother was wrong about him. He wanted her to see that he was indeed capable of being a hero, and if that meant dealing with torment like this, he would have to accept it.

But while Chespin was shocked at first, his confidence quickly returned as he smirked and said, "Oh well, it wouldn't have felt satisfying to beat you so quickly anyway. So go ahead, do your worst. I'm ready for it."

Popplio nodded and narrowed his eyelids. He knew that at this point, he could no longer afford to play possum. Chespin had already seen through it despite his rash nature saying otherwise. As such, the seal would need a whole new strategy.

He then thought of something he could do as he charged toward Chespin. The chipmunk readied himself to counter only for the seal to shift sideways, sending his tail into his legs like a sweep kick. The crowd stared in admiration only for Chespin to extend his bristles once more, using them to stop his collision with the mat.

"Nice try," he said as he sent a sideways kick into Popplio's cheek, "But Tsareena's not the only one who can prevent herself from hitting the mat."

He then used the bristles to push himself sideways into the air, spinning vertically and sending a kick into Popplio's skull. The seal was shocked when this caused him to cough up blood, Chespin taking full advantage of this and cupping his paws together.

"WOOD HAMMER!" he exclaimed as he sent them both into Popplio's jaw, the seal falling on his side while Eevee cried, "NO! POPPLIO!" the crowd in full panic. While Eevee had certainly struggled against Tsareena, not even she had sustained this much damage in such a short period of time.

The seal was still able to move, but just barely as he breathed heavily and thought, 'Zut alors. Perhaps Mama was right. Maybe I'm not cut out for this. Maybe I should head back to the circus where I belong.'

Unfortunately, it seemed as if Chespin would not give him such an option as he sent a flying kick into his cheek, knocking him on his side once more. He then smirked and said, "Time to finish you off for good," once again raising his arms.

But just as it looked like the match would come to an end, Machop stood up and snapped, "HOLD IT!" everyone gasping and turning to her as even Eevee had no idea what to say.

"My god, look at that," Chespin scoffed, "The world champion is begging me to spare someone's life!" as Machop shook her head and remarked, "Look, before you end this match, there's something I wanna know! What are you doing on the side of evil!?"

The crowd gasped before Yukiko stated, "And in a shocking turn of events, it would seem that Machop might actually know Chespin personally," the chipmunk uttering, "You do?"

"No, I don't," Machop replied with a grin, "But I do know your daddy, and I also know that if he saw what you've become, he'd kick your ass in a heartbeat!"

All went silent among the crowd as even Eevee could not believe what she had just heard. However, Chespin did not look the least bit fazed as he let out a big laugh, exclaiming, "Wow! I was wondering when you'd figure it out! Granted, I do look more like my grandpa than my papa, but even so."

"Wait a minute," Yukiko uttered while she pulled out her cell phone only for Chespin to sigh, "Don't bother looking it up. It'll take too long. My papa is named Chesnaught."

The audience gasped as Machop sighed, "Knew it," Eevee turning to the woman and barking, "Wait, what!? Aren't you two, like, good friends or something!?"

"Well, we're not super close, but we're definitely friends of his," Isamu replied, "He did tell us he had a son, but we haven't actually seen him in person since the twenty-eighth Hero Olympics. We mostly just communicate with him on Facebook. And before you ask, he doesn't post photos of his family for privacy reasons."

Eevee blinked and nodded as Chespin sighed, "And that's just one of the many reasons I'm not as afraid of him as you think I am."

"Are you kidding me!?" Machop retorted, "He was a nightmare when I fought him!" the woman remembering it clear as day.

It was the quarter-finals of a major event known as the Hero Olympics where heroes would gather from around the globe to compete for the title of world champion. Machop, still at the age of sixteen, went up against a hairy armadillo covered in armour. He had put up an incredible fight, delivering one powerful blow after the next. He had come closer to defeating Machop than even the toughest villains she had faced up to that point.

In the end, she did ultimately defeat him, but it truly felt like a miracle. Though a deep respect had blossomed between the two, thus they considered one-another friends.

"Yeah, I've heard that story," Chespin sighed, "the way he just forgot how your papa humiliated his during the elimination rounds! He's nothing more than a weakling, someone I could never associate myself with! That's why I joined the side of evil!"

"Wow, what a stupid reason," Eevee uttered as Machop nodded only for the chipmunk to growl, "I knew you wouldn't understand! Now, if you'll excuse me, I have-"

But as he turned, he was shocked to see Popplio standing upright with his eyes narrowed. Not only that, but unlike the first time, it looked as if none of the pain he took in earlier meant anything.

"Eevee is right," he grunted, "Turning to the side of evil just to spite your father! That's terrible! It's insulting! It's-"

His eyes then widened as Chespin smirked and said, "You just realized I know that and don't care, right?"

But Popplio had a much different reason for going silent. While his decision to run away from home was nowhere near as bad, he had done it to for a very similar reason. He took up the hero role to spite his mother, to prove that she was wrong about him. And while not a horrible goal, it was still selfish.

As such, he took a deep breath and said, "I figured out how you were able to bypass my tactics earlier," Chespin blinking and asking, "Because I'm better than you?"

"Non," Popplio remarked, "It is because I, too, refused to associate myself with my family. I lost sight of who I was, the way I was born and raised. I still believe I have what it takes to be a hero, but I am also a circus performer!"

The area went silent as Yukiko stated, "While Popplio's words have left me confused, they seem to have given him a boost in confidence," Eevee uttering, "Okay, I'm gonna have to ask him about that later, aren't I?" Machop and Isamu shrugging.

Primarina's eyes sparkled as she clasped her flippers together and squealed, "Oh, I am so proud of him!" Ames nodding and saying, "I see. He's going to use his circus skills to fight. That could work."

"Wow, so you really did work in a circus once," Chespin remarked with a snicker, "I fail to see how that makes you a better fighter, but hey, at least I get to have a little more fun with you!"

As such, he readied his bristles only for Popplio to smirk and remark, "Don't count on it."

With that, he leapt forward and curled up his body like a ball, taking hold of his tail and rolling toward the chipmunk at a rapid pace. Chespin blinked as he exclaimed, "CIRCUS BALL!" ramming himself hard into him and sending him careening into the ropes.

Once the chipmunk made contact, he bounced off as Popplio leapt toward him and barked, "BOUNCING BALL STRIKE!" hitting him hard in the skull with his tail thus planting his face hard into the canvas.

Chespin noticed blood dripping from his nose as he slowly pushed himself up, trembling all over and uttering, "But how? How in the hell is this helping you!? You're actually fighting like a clown!"

"Oui," Popplio said with a smirk while he folded his flippers, "That is my true style. Before, I was predictable because I refused to embrace my upbringing, but not anymore!"

But as the seal lunged forward again, Chespin gritted his teeth and growled, "THAT'S STUPID!" before sending his bristles forward and piercing the seal's flesh, "So you admit that you can't even come up with your own fighting style without relying on your parents! That's just pitiful!"

But just as he was about to set Popplio up for his Needle Suplex, the seal smirked and said, "That's not gonna work this time," before wrapping his arms around the chipmunk. This resulted in the bristles going all the way through his flippers, but he refused to allow that to get to him as he sighed, "Chespin, your father did the right thing by letting go of the past and letting bygones be bygones. He deserves your respect."

With that, he rested his tail against the mat and sunk it inward like a spring. Once it was low enough, he launched himself high into the air and flipped over so his and Chespin's head were facing the turnbuckle. The chipmunk panicked and retracted his bristles in an attempt to free himself, but it was too late as his skull made contact with the top of the pole.

All went quiet when Chespin coughed up blood, Popplio breaking the silence as he exclaimed, "TRAMPOLINE SUPLEX!" releasing his hold on the chipmunk thus allowing him to collapse.

Everyone stared as Eevee grinned wide and squealed, "THAT WAS AWESOME, POPPLIO!" the seal smiling at her. But as happy as he was, he could not help but wonder how his mother would react as he turned his gaze to one of the cameras.

And once enough time had passed, Yukiko rang the bell and exclaimed, "Much like Eevee's match, it was a really close one, but ultimately, Chespin has won, thus both heroes have saved Tokyo from Tsareena and Chespin's rule!"

The entire arena was filled with cheers and applause, Eevee racing into the ring and giving Popplio a tight embrace. However, it only took two seconds for this to cause both heroes slight pain as they winced, the fox releasing her hold and laughing nervously.

Chespin had gained just enough consciousness to notice a group of authorities race into the area to handcuff Tsareena. He knew he would be next, but he closed his eyes and let out a sigh, wondering if perhaps Popplio was right. Maybe running away to become evil was not the best course of action.

Either way, while things had been rough for the heroes of Tokyo, they had ultimately saved the day. But could they keep this up or were Tsareena and Chespin only a small sample of what they would have to deal with?


	5. Chapter 5

After everything that had happened, Machop and Isamu rushed Mapin to the hospital, and of course, Eevee and Popplio joined them. After all, the girl was their friend and they wanted to be there to make sure she was okay.

"I still can't believe it," Eevee sighed, "She's stronger than both of us," Popplio nodding and adding nothing to that. Deep down, he knew the reason why Mapin had lost, and it was the same reason Eevee had come so close to failure. But the last thing he wanted was to spoil the mood by pointing it out.

However, he would not even need to think about it for the time being as he felt a vibration under his left armpit. With that, he reached under and pulled out his cellphone, saying, "I'll need to step out for a minute or two."

Eevee nodded as he exited the room and noticed Primarina's phone number on the caller ID. As such, he let out a sigh and answered it, saying, "Bonjour, Mama."

"It's okay, you don't have to say everything in Francais when talking to moi," Primarina replied with a soft smile, "I just called to let you know your father and I saw your match on TV."

"Oh, right," Popplio uttered with a nervous look, "What did you think?" as the female seal replied, "Well, it did look very close. With how many times your skin was pierced, I thought for sure you might very well die."

Popplio bit his lower lip as he thought for sure she was going to ask him to return to the circus. And even he was wondering if he would be okay with that or not, especially now that he had embraced his upbringing.

But that was ultimately not the case as Primarina said, "But despite all of that, you still won and by using our teachings for combat no less. I have to admit, not only was that very clever, but it makes me believe I could have had what it took to be a hero back in the day if I had tried the same thing."

Popplio's eyes sparkled as his mother added, "In other words, I feel like Tokyo is safe in your flippers and that Eevee and Mapin are lucky to have an ally like you. Therefor, you may continue to fight evil as long as this is what you really want."

A light tear ran down the younger seal's eye while he nodded and replied, "Merci beaucoup, Mama," both giving each other a nice goodbye and hanging up.

Once he returned to the others, he noticed Mapin finally starting to wake up while Machop sighed, "Thank god," Isamu saying, "It's not like you never took in worse back in the day, honey."

The girl rubbed her head and groaned, "What? Where am I-?" spotting her parents and gasping, "Mom? Dad? What are you doing-?"

But when she looked around and noticed she was in a hospital bed, she groaned, "I lost, didn't I?" as Eevee shifted her eyes back and forth, Popplio nodding slowly.

"Oh no!" Mapin cried, "That means Tsareena and Chespin took over!" only for Isamu to shake his head and reply, "Calm down, that's not the case at all."

Mapin stared and uttered, "It isn't?" Eevee nodding and squealing, "Yeah! Popplio and I took care of them!" the fox grinning with pride as the seal nodded and added, "She's telling the truth. They let us fight them and we won."

Mapin stared in stunned silence. A part of her felt so frustrated right now, like she should have been the one to best both of them. However, she knew that was a horrible way to think and thus she took a deep breath and smiled, saying, "Good job. I'm proud of you guys."

She then gave them both a big hug, though she had a slight look of discontent in her eyes. However, no one else seemed to notice as Machop patted her on the shoulder and said, "You know, you're handling this a lot better than I handled my first loss. Come on, I know you have your own place, but what say we head on home for a dinner for our little heroes, eh?"

"I like the sound of that," Isamu replied with a grin as Mapin let go of Popplio and Eevee and nodded her head, though she said nothing.

And soon enough, the group had been driven to Mapin's former house, the girl and her friends seated on the couch. After all, the only thing they needed to do right now was rest up after such a tough first day. But while Eevee and Popplio were perfectly fine with this, Mapin was not so sure. She felt as if she should start training as soon as possible in case she lost again.

"So, Eevee, how exactly did you beat Tsareena?" the girl asked, "I mean, she was surprisingly strong for how skinny she is," as Eevee replied, "It was really close, but I managed to pull through with spirit."

Popplio rolled his eyes and said nothing. He would have to talk to Eevee about her way of fighting later, but for now, he did not wish to spoil the mood.

"Kids, dinner!" Isamu called out as all three perked up, Mapin finally seeming to forget at least a little bit about her loss. After all, while Machop could not cook to save her life, Isamu was amazing at it.

And all it took was one bite of Sukiyaki for her spirits to light up at least a little bit. As such, she had fire in her eyes while she thought, 'First thing tomorrow, I'm gonna train like I've never trained before! No one's going to defeat me ever again! I can guarantee it!'

But somewhere in the middle of dinner, Eevee blinked and said, "That's right. I forgot to ask. Mapin, I noticed that when things started to pick up for you during your match, you had this purple glow around your hands."

"Technically, it was violet, but she's right," Popplio added, "What was that?" Mapin laughing nervously and replying, "It's a power passed down from my grandma's family tree. Mom would know a lot more about it than me."

Machop shrugged and said, "Well, yeah, I know a bit about it, but the only major thing I know is that only females with Beaulieu blood have it, meaning while Mama has the ability, Uncle Gallade doesn't."

"So does that mean you have it, too?" Eevee enquired as Machop nodded and replied, "Well, yeah, but I don't bring it out because I mastered the ability to merge with it, meaning while I don't enter a powered up state like our daughter here did, my regular strength is higher than it was for the first ten years of my life. Though I always did envy Mama. She not only mastered that but could still draw out the power, but only for a limited time."

Mapin let out a sigh and groaned, "Well, I still don't completely get it. The power always came to Grandma whenever she was in dire peril. And then after she merged with it, she could activate it whenever she wanted to. For me, it just seems to come and go as it pleases. It didn't even activate once during my final exam, and there were a few moments where it really should have."

Isamu shrugged and Machop nodded and said, "That's why the best course of action is to make sure you don't have to rely on it too often, right?" Mapin nodding and thinking, 'That just confirms that extra training is what I need. If I can kick ass without that power, I'll have truly earned the Mach family name.'

"Still, if I had a power like that, that would be so cool," Eevee sighed as Popplio shrugged and added, "I wouldn't mind it either."

The rest of the evening went by just right when everyone decided to drop the subject of fighting and focus on other things. After all, Mapin was curious as to how her parents had been during her month-long absence. And with all said and done, all of the pain of her loss had completely left her as she was certain that the next time a villain showed up, she would be the one to save the day.

Once dinner was over, all three heroes decided to head back home. After all, if Mapin was to be independent, she could no longer rely on her parents to give her shelter despite both of them giving her the option to stay the night. And with all said and done, the rest of the night was nice and peaceful.

The following morning, Eevee got up and stretched with a yawn. She then looked out the window and squealed, "Good morning sun!" before skipping merrily into the kitchen for breakfast. After her victory yesterday, she felt like she could take on the world as she thought, 'I wonder if Umbreon saw my win. Maybe I should send her an email and gloat.'

However, she then realized something else she could do today. While not exactly productive, it seemed like a much better idea as she pulled out her cellphone that was tucked in her collar and gave Popplio a call.

"Bonjour," the seal said before Eevee squealed, "Bonjovi to you too, Popplio, old buddy!" as the seal shook his head and asked, "So, what's up?"

"I was just thinking," Eevee replied, "Mapin invited us to that day club for a meeting, but we never got to do anything. I figured maybe we could go there and hang out for an hour or two, you know, celebrate our first victories on Earth as long as it's peaceful, right?"

"You know, that does sound like a bien idea," Popplio replied, "I'm surprised you of all people came up with it," the fox retorting, "And what is that supposed to mean!?" the seal snickering.

Either way, both had agreed to meet up there at around noon. Once they said their goodbyes and hung up, the fox then called Mapin, feeling that she of all people would jump at this opportunity. After all, she had been to this club before and knew just how inviting it was, not to mention both Machop and her grandpa, Machoke, used to hang out there in their spare time every chance they got.

Mapin was in the middle of lifting a large weight over her head when she heard her cellphone going off. As such, she set down the object and walked to the counter she had put it on, picking it up and saying, "Hey, Eevee."

"I find it funny how Popplio always greets people in French and yet you don't," the fox giggled as Mapin sighed, "Look, my mom may have grown up in France, but I didn't," Eevee remarking, "Come on, learn to take a joke."

After more small talk, Eevee suggested when she had to Popplio. However, Mapin was nowhere near as enthusiastic as the fox expected as she sighed, "I'd love to, but I'm really busy today. You two go and have fun, but I don't think I'll be joining you."

Eevee blinked and sighed, "Oh, alright. I understand," Mapin replying, "I'm really sorry about this. Next time, okay?" the fox saying, "Yeah, that'll be fine."

With that, both gave their goodbyes and hung up as Mapin went back to training, thinking, 'I need to be fully prepared for the next villain! One could very well show up today for all we know!" the girl turning on the news just to make sure.

That was not to say Eevee and Popplio would not get in any training themselves. On the contrary, they knew to get in an hour minimum each day, so they would simply do that before heading to the club. Mapin, on the other hand, refused to let up until she truly felt like she was strong enough to carry on her family legacy.

Once noon rolled around, both Eevee and Popplio arrived at the Tokyo Day Club and entered, the owner smiling and saying, "Well, if it isn't Tokyo's finest," a few guests turning and smiling wide, many of them walking over to the heroes with pens and paper at the ready.

Popplio blinked as a teenaged girl squealed, "Popplio, can I have your autograph!?" another asking Eevee the same thing before she grinned and squeaked, "Of course!"

Her eyes sparkled while she signed not only paper but also a few books and articles of clothing. Popplio was not quite as excited about this, but he was still happy to have this kind of recognition, though he tensed up when one girl asked him to sign her chest in permanent inc.

Once they were done, the owner walked over to them and asked, "So, what'll it be? Any drink you want is on the house. It's the least I can do after what you did for Tokyo yesterday."

"Any drink I want?" Eevee uttered with wonder in her expression. This was her chance to finally try alcohol for the first time and prove that she could be as mature as Umbreon if not more. At least she believed drinking alcohol would make her more mature.

Popplio simply ordered milk as he rarely ever drank anything else, the owner nodding and asking, "By the way, where's Mapin? It is thanks to her that I wasn't killed yesterday. I was already planning to do something special to celebrate her return to Tokyo, but now I really feel like I owe her."

Eevee shrugged and replied, "She said she's gonna be too busy today," the man nodding and sighing, "That's a shame. My father used to have Machop and her friends come in almost every day. I figured maybe with Mapin living on her own, it might be the same for her."

Eevee nodded and said, "You know, I think I can see why the Mach family loves this place so much. It's really simple but it's very inviting," turning her gaze toward the karaoke machine and adding, "There's also that. I'm totally gonna rock the house once I have my drink."

Popplio chuckled as they received their drinks soon enough, Eevee having ordered a beer. But when she took a big sip, her eyes widened as she thought, 'Oh my god, it tastes like soy sauce!'

The seal noticed this and asked, "So, how is it?" Eevee gulping it all down and letting out a loud burp, uttering, "Delicious. I think I'll have more."

But just as she was about to do so, one of the guests exclaimed, "Look!" pointing at the TV where a news report was currently playing. On the screen was a whitish-blue bug trilobite, though only his head made it clear that he was one. His pitch-black eyes were surrounded by purple markings that spread out to his antennae and he even had four legs dangling from his head. Attached to his skinny arms were large light-purple hands with two big black claws on each, shells that resembled shogun shoulder pads covering the tops. His lower body was mostly the same colour as his hands while his legs and belt area were covered in armour that matched his head, the latter looking like a loin cloth.

Currently, the trilobite held a woman and her child hostage, saying, "Alright, all I want are Tokyo's heroes to show themselves! As long as they come and accept my challenge to a fight, I'll let these two innocent civilians go!"

Eevee's eyes widened as she gasped, "You heard that! Come on, let's go!" Popplio nodding as the owner nodded and said, "Don't worry, I'll keep your drinks nice and cool for when you get back."

Of course, since Mapin had the news playing the whole time, she had also seen this as she frowned and rose to her feet, flexing her muscles. A smirk formed on her face while she said, "Yeah, I'm totally ready for this."

At that moment, though, her cellphone started to ring as she noticed it was Eevee calling her once again. As such, she answered and sighed, "Look, Eevee, I told you I'm very busy, and right now-"

She was cut off when the fox remarked, "Forget that! There's a villain hurting a mommy and child downtown!" as Mapin grinned and said, "Good, we're on the same page. Though even if you arrive first, could you maybe give me this one? I feel really confident and, well, you guys did so much yesterday that you deserve a break."

Of course, she was volunteering to go first mainly for her own self-image, but the last thing she wanted was to tell her friends that. And it seemed to work when Eevee replied, "That's fine. I have no doubt you'll kick major ass today, anyway."

Mapin had a warmer smile on as she said, "Thanks," before bolting out the door with a more serious look on her face.

While trapped in the trilobite's grip, the woman whimpered, "You can do whatever you want to me, but please, spare my son!" the villain glaring at her and retorting, "As long as Tokyo's heroes show up, neither of you will be hurt, at least not yet. Once I have control over Tokyo, this predicament will seem like a vacation paradise by comparison."

"Don't count on it!" came a familiar voice while the trilobite turned and dropped his hostages. Thus both fled for their lives as he sighed, "So you're the first to arrive. Honestly, I would have been happy before, but now I'm not so sure."

As it so happened, the first to show up in the area was Mapin, the girl staring in confusion as she retorted, "What do you mean you're not so sure!? I'm the daughter of Machop, you know, a member of the Mach family! Villains normally go out of their way to fight us specifically!"

"True, but that's because your predecessors weren't losers," the trilobite sighed, Mapin gritting her teeth and clenching her fists as she growled, "Care to say that again!?"

Even the citizens in the area were confused by this while the trilobite sighed, "Look, I heard about your embarrassing loss to Tsareena yesterday. You know, she's not even one of our strongest."

Mapin narrowed her eyelids and retorted, "But my mom lost to Voltorb and no one stopped caring about her!" only for the trilobite to chuckle and remark, "That's only because Gyarados wasn't even aware of that when she challenged her and, well, most villains remembered that victory as opposed to her first loss on Earth. And even then, Voltorb was much more of a threat. I find that hilarious, too. You have bigger muscles than your mother and more arms than anyone else in your family tree."

"Exactly!" the girl snapped, "That's why that loss was a fluke and why you're going down, right here and now! No ring, no arena, but a simple street fight!"

Before the trilobite could even agree to this, Mapin lunged at him with all three of her left arms stretched out. But before she could even make contact, the legs on the trilobite's head spread out and closed in, grabbing onto the sides of the girl's head and piercing her flesh. Thus she cried out in pain and took a hard punch to her face.

The citizens gasped as Eevee and Popplio arrived, the seal shouting, "SACRE BLEU!" Eevee squeaking, "OH MY GOD, MAPIN!"

Hearing them voice their concern, Mapin gritted her teeth and grunted, "NO!" before lifting up her legs and sending them into the trilobite's midsection. Thus he released his hold on her and backed up, saying, "Well, at least your physical strength is as good as I figured it would be."

"Yeah, and you're gonna feel a lot more of it!" Mapin retorted as she sent an array of punches toward him while barking, "MACH GATLING!"

But much like when she attempted this against Tsareena, the trilobite was more than ready. Though unlike the flower girl, he did not dodge the move but rather held his arms up with the armour facing forward to block them with ease while he exclaimed, "TRILOBITE SHIELD!"

Mapin gritted her teeth and continued to wail on his arms, barking, "If I can't hit your flesh, I'll just break that shell of yours!" only for the trilobite to say, "That won't be necessary," before looming his head over her.

"MAPIN, LOOK OUT!" Popplio exclaimed, but it was too late as the girl's shoulders had been pierced by the trilobite's head legs. This caused her to end her assault while he planted the claws on his hands into her ribcage, saying, "I knew you'd be a letdown, but I didn't think it would be this easy."

"COME ON, MAPIN, GET OUT OF THAT AND PROVE HIM WRONG!" Eevee snapped only for Popplio to utter, "I don't think she can escape from that."

And it seemed so as the trilobite leapt high into the air, leaning forward so only Mapin's back was facing the pavement below. And soon enough, she made contact and coughed up blood while the trilobite exclaimed, "EIGHT PRONGED SLAM!"

Silence filled the air as the trilobite rose himself upright, taking a deep breath and rubbing Mapin's blood off of the area it flew into, specifically his neck. When everyone saw the girl's eyes rolled to the back of her head, there was no doubt that she had been defeated and thus panic spread through the area. It was one thing for a member of the Mach family to lose once, but twice in a row? Such a thing was unheard of.

Eevee and Popplio's jaws were dropped as they could not believe it either. The trilobite then implied a smirk with his eyes as he noticed the fox standing right there and said, "There's the one I wanted to face."

Eevee blinked and squeaked, "Me!?" the trilobite nodding and replying, "That's right. I heard about how you defeated Tsareena after Mapin failed. That's much more fascinating. As such, I'd much rather face you."

Eevee stared silently for a few seconds before grinning and retorting, "Alright, I'll take you any time anywhere!" as Popplio uttered, "Try not to get a swelled head, oui?"

"Alright, I'll face you in the exact same area you fought Tsareena yesterday," the trilobite stated, "Nippon Budokan I believe it was called. We shall have our match tomorrow at noon, no sooner and no later, got it?"

The fox nodded with a look of confidence, thinking, 'You may be big, but that only means you'll fall much harder!'

"Well, before I head off to get ready, I guess I may as well introduce myself," the trilobite said with an implied smile, "The name's Golisopod. Remember, tomorrow at noon."

With that, the trilobite headed away from the area so he could get ready for the match, Popplio uttering, "Are you really sure you can take him?"

Eevee nodded and replied, "Positive. He may be big and scary, but size isn't everything."

And while that was certainly a good mindset to have, the seal really hoped his friend could pull off the same results she had yesterday. After all, while Tsareena was tough, Golisopod had already proven himself to be a much bigger threat.


	6. Chapter 6

Just as things were looking up in Tokyo, they had once again taken a bad turn. Not only had another villain shown up, but Mapin was defeated for the second time in two days. And just like before, it was up to Eevee to finish what she started.

With only around twenty four hours to prepare for this, Eevee immediately raced home and started training as Popplio offered to help her. However, she insisted that she could do this alone and while the seal agreed to this, he was not sure if this was really the right course of action. After all, while Tsareena may have been tough, her slender build made her a much easier opponent. Golisopod, on the other hand, was bigger and seemed a lot stronger. And with most of his body covered in armour, he was even more intimidating.

Of course, Machop and Isamu had heard of Mapin's loss and how she had once again been rushed to the hospital. Naturally, both chose to stay by her side and watch Eevee's match on TV, the woman giving her daughter a look of concern.

"Hey, don't look so glum," Isamu said with a warm smile, "You lost a few times back in your day. She'll get better."

"I believe that she will," Machop replied, "I'm just worried she might not realize it," the man understanding what she meant by that and nodding his head.

The rest of the day felt like a few minutes as everyone was anticipating Eevee's second fight. After all, any news regarding heroes often spread like wildfire, so Tokyo's citizens all knew what was going on.

Once night rolled around, Eevee decided to turn in early as she needed as much energy as she could get tomorrow. As such, she turned off the lights, closed her blinds and crawled into bed at ten o'clock, two hours earlier than usual.

'That Golisopod has no idea what he's in for,' the fox thought with a proud grin, 'Not only am I gonna kick his ass, but once Umbreon inevitably hears about it, she will to turn to me for heroic advice. It's perfect.'

With that in mind, she let out a yawn and was fast asleep in seconds. There was no doubt in her mind. In fourteen hours, Golisopod would wish he had never challenged her in the first place.

And soon enough, morning came as the fox was up bright and early. After a good, healthy breakfast, she decided to get in some last minute training. If she wanted to defeat someone this big and strong, she would surely need it.

Once eleven o'clock rolled around, she was already at Nippon Budokan. After all, she would need an hour to prepare herself as Popplio once again got himself a front row seat. Though he was not as excited as the rest of the crowd. Despite Eevee's victory over Tsareena, he was still worried about her.

Of course, Golisopod was also there, and much like Eevee, he was getting ready for his entrance. Currently, he was delivering an onslaught of punches to a sandbag, ultimately putting a hole in it despite not using his claws.

His eyes implied a smirk as he said, "I hope you enjoyed your brief fame, Eevee, because I'm about to strip that from you."

After a few minutes, Popplio had finished munching on a raw fish he had brought with him and rose up from his seat, setting the fish bone on it to let people know he had claimed it. He then let out a sigh and made his way toward the training area just to make sure Eevee was truly ready for this.

And as he opened the door, he noticed her sending a barrage of rapid kicks into a sandbag of her own, actually managing to put a few dents in it. This was more than enough to put the seal's mind at ease as he shook his head and closed the door. Even he believed she could do this now.

And so, the next fifty minutes seemed to fly by as Yukiko sat behind the podium and exclaimed, "Ladies and gentlemen, it's time for another exciting match to decide the fate of Tokyo, and only two days after the last one! I don't know about all of you, but I'm super excited to see newcomer Eevee in action once more!" the crowd cheering wildly while even Popplio clapped with a smile on his face. He knew how serious this was, but even he was getting into the spirit.

"In the red corner is the hero who defeated Tsareena," Yukiko stated, "Though she looks frail and weak, she has the passion and drive of a lion! With amazing speed and skill, Eevee!" the crowd going wild when the fox approached the ring with her arms raised in the air. She was currently wearing a sleeveless black top with a skull on it as she leapt into the ring, shouting, "BRING IT ON, GOLISOPOD!" in the deepest tone she could muster.

To top it off, she activated a mechanism that released streamers from under the suit, Machop seeing this and uttering, "Wait, they are they applauding that? That's like the entrances Lairon used to force me to do, and no one ever took them seriously!"

Isamu let out a sigh and patted her on the shoulder, saying, "Let it go, honey," as she folded her arms and grumbled curses under her breath.

Eevee removed the small streamer guns from under her shirt and tossed them out of the ring but kept the article of clothing on anyway. She figured that if she was going to get her second win, she may as well do it in style.

"Looking good!" Popplio exclaimed as Eevee smiled and waved to him, grinning at a nearby camera and thinking, 'You'd better be watching this, Umbreon.'

Though unbeknownst to her, there was a cloaked figure in the crowd watching this. The only thing anyone could see from this stranger was a pair of red eyes. But was she a friend or was she working with Golisopod?

Once the crowd had calmed down, Yukiko stated, "And in the blue corner is a powerful villain who bested Mapin with ease yesterday! With that information alone, it is clear that this guy is not to be taken lightly! Introducing Golisopod!"

The crowd watched in silence while the trilobite entered the area and placed a boombox on the floor. He then tapped the play button as rock music came from it at full volume, Golisopod walking toward the ring with both claws high in the air as if to imply peace signs. And once he entered the ring, the music stopped as if it was already set to do so when in reality, he had only recorded a minute's worth of audio onto the CD.

Once he got a good look at Eevee, he implied a grin and said, "Good to see you taking this so seriously. I'd be disappointed if you didn't," the fox retorting, "But of course! I'm gonna avenge Mapin's loss and save the people of Tokyo at the same time!"

Soon enough, a childish grin formed on her face as she thought, 'And of course, the look of Umbreon's face when she finds out will be so totally worth it!'

With all said and done, both fighters moved to separate sides of the ring while Yukiko stated, "Well, it would seem that the combatants are set! So without further ado, let us begin!" ringing the bell as Eevee immediately raced toward Golisopod.

Before he could prepare a counter, the fox leapt forward and rammed her skull hard into his gut. His eyes widened as the crowd cheered wildly. However, Golisopod refused to allow her to land more hits as he lowered his head, his tiny legs alarmingly close to her back.

Fortunately, Eevee saw this coming as she ducked under his bigger legs, asking, "Did you really think I'd fall for that?" before placing her paws against the mat and pushing her lower body up, planting her feet into the trilobite's back.

The crowd's excitement was even higher while Popplio folded his flippers and nodded his head, saying, "Not bad," Yukiko stating, "And despite the difference in size, Eevee is currently dominating as Golisopod cannot seem to land a hit on her."

Things only seemed to look more favourable when the fox took hold of Golisopod's arm. But as she attempted to pull him back, her eyes widened when she found herself unable to do so. Deep down, she really should have seen this coming.

"Is that really it?" the trilobite uttered as he lifted up his arm with Eevee still attached, "This is the hero who defeated Tsareena when a member of the Mach family couldn't? Are you kidding?"

The cloaked figure let out a sigh and narrowed her eyelids as Golisopod spread his leg out, lowering his arm and planting Eevee's back into his knee. The crowd gasped while the fox released her hold and fell on her side. And shortly afterwards, the trilobite lifted up his leg and slammed his foot into her ribcage, causing her to already cough up blood.

Panic filled the area as Popplio groaned, "Oh non, she got carried away again!" pulling down on his cheeks with his teeth gritted.

"I had a wide assortment of moves I wanted to try on you," Golisopod stated as he sent his foot into the ribcage a second time, "Though I figured I'd let you land a couple of moves on me first just to get a good taste of what Tsareena had to deal with. All this proves to me is how pathetic she really was, because you're nothing special!"

Before Eevee could even react, the trilobite pierced her side with his right claws and lifted her up, hurling her hard into the turnbuckle. The fox did all she could not to show any signs of weakness, but she could not hold back her tears.

It was not because of the pain. After all, she took in a lot of damage from Tsareena and still found the courage to go on. It was because of Golisopod's words and how she could not help but think that he might have actually been right.

"Look at that, people of Tokyo," the trilobite scoffed with his arms folded, "Tears from your hero. If this is the best you have to offer, you guys are screwed."

Popplio's eyes were wide with terror as Golisopod marched over to Eevee, the seal barking, "COME ON, EEVEE! YOU CAN DO IT! THINK ABOUT HOW CLOSE YOU CAME TO FAILURE WHEN YOU FOUGHT TSAREENA! EVERYTHING WAS STACKED AGAINST YOU AND YET YOU STILL MANAGED TO GET BACK UP AND WIN!"

The cloaked figure closed her eyes and thought, 'You have too much faith in her. I thought you at least had common sense, but you're just as naive as the rest of this crowd.'

However, his words seemed to have some kind of impact as Eevee's eyes widened. As such, she put on a more serious look and wiped her tears, slowly rising to her feet and breathing heavily while she grunted, "I won't let you take over Tokyo!"

"Oh, good," Golisopod said with an implied smirk, "I was worried this fight would end too quick."

With that, he picked up the pace of his trip only for Eevee to leap at him and send her skull into his chin. But while this dealt some pain to the trilobite, the armour around his head only caused her to take in more as she fell on her belly, rubbing her skull and whimpering.

"You know, you were at least thinking logically before," Golisopod tauntingly said as he pierced her arms and lifted her up, his claws having gone straight through them, "You at least had the common sense to attack my flesh. That was just stupid."

Yukiko trembled and uttered, "And just like Golisopod has stated, Eevee started off strong but now it seems as if she just can't get the advantage back. How on Earth can she possibly get out of this?"

"Simply put, she can't," Golisopod remarked with an implied smirk as he rammed his head claws into her back.

Eevee gritted her teeth and growled, "NO!" before sending her feet repeatedly into the trilobite's neck. But much like the headbutt to his chin, this hardly dealt any pain to him as he leapt high into the air and flipped one hundred and eighty degrees so Eevee's head was facing the canvas.

"EIGHT PRONGED SUPLEX!" the trilobite exclaimed, and soon enough, the fox's skull made contact. As a result, she coughed up blood and closed her eyes, Golisopod removing his claws and allowing her to collapse.

Everyone stared while Yukiko trembled, Popplio's jaw dropped. Machop and Isamu could hardly watch this as well back in the hospital. However, they were slightly relieved when they noticed Mapin finally open her eyes, the girl slowly sitting upright and rubbing her head.

"Ugh, what happened?" she groaned before seeing what had just happened on screen. Needless to say, she was mortified as she shook her head and uttered, "No. I should have been able to prevent this."

Golisopod held up his arms and implied a grin before turning toward Yukiko, asking, "So, you gonna announce my victory or what?" the woman nodding and raising her mallet only for Eevee to cough and slowly open her eyes.

The crowd gasped as the stranger rose an eyebrow, thinking, 'Is she actually able to keep going?'

The fox flipped herself over onto her belly before pushing against the mat, her body shaking as she slowly managed to raise it. However, after a few seconds, her arms went limp as she once again collapsed, Yukiko ringing the bell and saying, "And with that, Golisopod has won the match."

Eevee coughed up a bit of blood and groaned, "No! I can still-" only for the trilobite to stomp on her back once more, sighing, "Just stop. You'll only embarrass yourself further."

He then pointed at Popplio and snapped, "Well, that's two down! Only one to go!" the seal tensing up as even he was unsure of whether or not he could defeat this monster.

But before he could get up to accept the challenge, the cloaked figure leapt toward Golisopod with her arm out and rammed it into his neck. This caused a surprising amount of pain to him as the back of his head hit the canvas hard, the figure removing her cloak to reveal a certain black fox with yellow rings on her fur.

The crowd gasped as Yukiko stated, "And just as it looked like things were about to get worse, it seems another unknown hero has come to finish what Eevee and Mapin started!"

"Please, I'm not doing this for them," Umbreon sighed, "I'm doing this to make up for my little sister's blunder," Eevee gritting her teeth and trying desperately to rise up again only to fail for the second time.

The crowd was even more intrigued as Popplio felt much more relieved than Eevee did, Yukiko saying, "Well, you heard it yourself, folks. This stranger is apparently Eevee's older sister."

However, panic spread through the area when Golisopod rose back to his feet, saying, "That was impressive. Tell me, what's your name?" Umbreon about to respond when Eevee snapped, "UMBREON, WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!? DON'T YOU HAVE YOUR OWN AREA TO PROTECT!?"

If it had not been for that second question, everyone would have considered the first one pointless. However, this was a good point as one could not help but wonder why she was there, especially since Eevee had only just lost.

"Eevee, you might not realize it, but since we've only had one villain show up in Osaka so far, I've had time to watch your matches here in Tokyo," Umbreon explained as Eevee blinked, "The minute I heard Golisopod challenge you, I knew you would lose, so I came here yesterday by bullet train to make sure Tokyo was truly safe."

Popplio blinked and wondered if he should have even brought up the fact that he was still there. Though deep down, he was still a touch grateful for this, even if Eevee was not.

"How can you say that!?" Eevee retorted with a fury in her expression, "Did you not see me defeat Tsareena!?" as Umbreon sighed, "Yes, I did, but can you honestly call that embarrassing display a victory?"

The crowd was just as confused as Eevee as they talked amongst themselves, one saying, "I thought she was pretty good the other day," another adding, "Yeah, she took in all kinds of punishment and still won. I thought she was amazing."

"That's what it looked like, but there's something you all failed to take into account," Umbreon stated before turning her gaze back to Eevee, "The only reason you defeated her was because she happened to be foolish enough not to rest up after her match with Machop! If she had even given herself a full hour to heal from the damage inflicted to her, she would have beaten you for sure!"

The crowd gasped as even Yukiko could not help but utter, "That's actually a good point," Popplio pursing his lips before Eevee turned to him and snapped, "DUDE, WHAT THE HELL!?"

"So you did notice," Umbreon quipped as the seal rubbed the back of his head, sighing, "Pardon, Eevee, but she's right. I didn't want to spoil your mood, so I kept it to myself."

"Oh, thank god!" Golisopod replied with a sigh of relief, "Here I thought Tsareena wasn't worthy of serving us. If I ever see her again, I'll have to apologize for what I said earlier," Eevee not even listening to him as she glared at Umbreon, wanting so badly to get up and tackle her to the floor.

"Eevee, I have no idea what Jackalu was thinking when he assigned you to Tokyo," Umbreon sighed with her arms folded, "But I still felt that this city was in good hands when I saw that you were partnered up with Mapin. However, from what I've seen, she's nowhere near the level of those who came before her. In fact, she's just as bad as you."

Hearing this from the hospital, Mapin's eyes and mouth were wide open. She could not bring herself to feel as angry as Eevee because deep down, she believed it. Machop, on the other hand, frowned and grunted, "Don't listen to her! You're plenty strong, Mapin!" Isamu nodding and adding, "It's not like a member of the Mach family has never lost before. You just need to get back up and try again."

Unfortunately, Mapin had not heard them as she was still distracted by Umbreon's words, the fox adding, "I heard members of her family were supposed to be able to sustain high amounts of damage, and yet she barely put up a fight."

She then directed her gaze toward Popplio and stated, "I will admit, though, that you at least have potential, though I wouldn't say you're good enough to stand up to someone like him any time soon," pointing at Golisopod, "Therefor, I think it would be a better option if I step in at least this once."

Eevee was fuming now as she thought, 'You arrogant little-' only for Popplio to get up and make his way toward the ring. He then gently lifted Eevee off of it and sighed, "Don't overexert yourself. You need to rest up now. Your sister has this covered."

"How can you take her side like this!?" the fox retorted with tears in her eyes while she flailed her arms, batting his forehead a few times. However the seal ignored this and carried her toward a nearby bench, allowing her to sit on it as she had regained just enough strength to be able to do that.

"Just hold still and you'll heal faster," the seal uttered as Eevee had grown tired of yelling. As such, she took a deep breath and nodded her head, scowling at her sister. As if coming in to do her job for her was not bad enough, it took a lot of gall for the older fox to say what she had.

Even so, Golisopod could not have looked happier as he said, "Well, I don't know about anyone else, but now I'm excited! I could tell from that one hit that you're the kind of opponent I've been looking for! Once I beat you, I'll feel truly satisfied!"

Umbreon glared at him and said, "You should try and take this more seriously. Anyway, I'll give you an hour to prepare yourself, because unlike my sister, I don't need a handicap."

Eevee mocking moved her lips in sync with Umbreon's during that final statement before Yukiko said, "Well, you heard it yourself. It seems as if for possibly one time only, a hero from Osaka is going to take the place of one of Tokyo's heroes," the crowd looking relieved as they applauded the older fox. As arrogant as she was, they, too, could see how much more powerful she was just from the fact that she was able to slam Golisopod to the mat.

But could Umbreon really pull this off or had she also gotten ahead of herself? Either way, Tokyo's fate was now in her hands and there was no way she would allow herself to meet the same fate as Mapin and Eevee.


	7. Chapter 7

It seemed as if a dark day for Tokyo may have been given a bit of light as Umbreon had stepped in to take on Golisopod after Eevee lost to him. And as much as the brown fox hated having her older sister take over for her, she had no choice but to sit on the sidelines and watch.

However, it looked as if that might not be the case when Popplio suggested, "I was thinking maybe you should go to the hospital. We have time," only for the fox to shake her head and reply, "No. I'm already starting to get some feeling back in my arms. I'll be fine."

The seal was about to protest, but he saw how serious she was. He figured that the last thing she would want was to stick around and watch Umbreon upstage her, and yet here she was. However, the seal simply figured she only wanted to make sure the citizens of Tokyo would be okay and shrugged.

All the while, Umbreon was in the back area. Much like Eevee earlier, she was training with a sandbag, but along with a variety of kicks, she also added some punches and ended her procedure with a suplex. This caused the top of the bag to come open as she took a deep breath. Needless to say, she felt fully confident that she could win this.

Back at the hospital, Mapin seemed to have calmed down a bit as Machop rubbed her shoulders, the girl saying, "It's okay, Mom. I'm fine," though her tone had a hint of uncertainty to it. After all, Umbreon's words were very harsh, even if there was truth to them.

Once it was just about time for the match to start, Eevee was finally able to move as Popplio said, "I have to admit, that's a true miracle. After the beating you took, I'm amazed you're still awake," Eevee sighing, "Yeah, no kidding."

The seal then took a deep breath and asked, "Are you mad at moi, by any chance?" as the fox shook her head and said nothing. Right now, all she wanted to focus on was the match at hand.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" Yukiko exclaimed, "It is time for the second match of the day, and possibly the last depending on the results! Just as all seemed lost, Eevee's older and seemingly more capable sister has come to our aid! Let's hope she can be the one to end Golisopod's winning streak!"

Eevee narrowed her eyelids but said nothing while Popplio turned to her with concern. While Yukiko was merely doing her job, it did sound a touch biased even if she did not intend on that.

"In the red corner is a fearsome foe who has defeated two of Tokyo's heroes with ease!" the announcer continued, "This mighty trilobite has proven to be just as powerful as he looks! Golisopod, everyone!"

The crowd gulped when the trilobite once again approached the ring with rock music playing in the background. However, this track was heavier and louder as he held a cinder block over his head and exclaimed, "Watch closely, everyone, for this is what I'm gonna do to Umbreon!"

The crowd trembled when he managed to pierce the surface with his claws. He then rammed it hard into the floor, causing it to break into small fragments. As if he was not terrifying enough before, this only made him look more frightening.

Once he entered the ring, the music stopped as he gazed upon the crowd, saying, "Yep, you'll all make fine servants for me," Eevee grumbling, "I'm no one's servant."

"And in the blue corner," Yukiko stated, "Currently assigned to Osaka, she has come all the way here by bullet train to help us! We have only seen one move from her, but that's enough to tell us that she may just have what it takes! Everyone, put your hands together for Umbreon!"

The crowd cheered wildly while the black fox approached the ring slowly in the same cloak from before. Once she was close to the ring, she threw it off of her and leapt high into the air, performing a vertical flip and landing on one knee, her arms pointed outward. Needless to say, she had already given a good impression as Golisopod nodded and said, "Good, so you do have showmanship inside of you. I was worried you'd take the more boring and serious approach."

"You needn't worry about that," Umbreon sighed, "While I find it to be a waste of effort myself, it does help to calm down the audience and give them hope. After all, the last thing I want is to give them more reasons to be afraid."

She then glanced accusingly at Eevee as she clenched her fists, growling, "Seriously, how many more potshots does that bitch have?"

"I agree," Popplio sighed, "I'm glad she's come here to help, but does she need to constantly remind us of how much we failed to stop him?"

Both fighters were soon standing on separate sides of the ring as Yukiko stated, "Well, folks, both fighters are ready. Therefor it is time to begin," as she rang the bell.

Golisopod readied himself as Umbreon charged toward him. But just as it seemed like she had made the same rash moves that Eevee and Mapin had, she dodged to the right before Golisopod could even attempt a countermeasure. She then sent a roundhouse into his side as his eyes widened. Just from this one kick, he could tell that Umbreon was much stronger than Eevee despite being just as skinny.

However, he knew he could not afford to let up as he swung his arm at her. Luckily, Umbreon saw this coming and ducked under it, taking hold of that very part and pulling backward. And unlike when Eevee attempted the same move, Umbreon applied just enough force to cause the trilobite to fall backwards and hit the mat hard.

The crowd cheered wildly while Yukiko stated, "Despite her appearance, Umbreon is showing a great deal of strength as she has just managed to force Golisopod onto his back!"

The fox took full advantage of this as she wrapped her arms around the trilobite's neck while locking his arm in place with her feet. But while Golisopod showed signs of pain before, he now had excitement in his eyes as he exclaimed, "OH YEAH! THIS IS EXCACTLY THE KIND OF FIGHT I WAS LOOKING FOR!"

With that, he lifted up his arm while Umbreon looked surprised for the first time. Everyone could hear the strain he was putting on himself with this act alone, but it did not seem to faze him in the slightest as he slammed Umbreon's back into the canvas. However, she refused to let go as he attempted it again, the fox realizing it was a bad idea to continue. As such, she let go and leapt away from him.

"You're insane," she growled as Golisopod rose to his feet, "That must have caused you more pain," the trilobite nodding and remarking, "Yeah, it did, but it also gave you a reason to release me."

Umbreon narrowed her eyelids as Eevee perked up slightly. As much as she wanted to see Golisopod lose, just the sight of her over-confident sister looking surprised by an opponent was uplifting.

However, it did not last as the black fox said, "Big deal. I can still turn this around." Thus she held her ground while Golisopod remarked, "Let's see you back that up," racing toward her with his arms raised.

But just as he was about to scratch Umbreon, she leapt away from him and onto the ropes. She then propelled herself off of them and sent an axe kick into the trilobite's skull, causing him to wince as she leapt away from him, the crowd cheering once more.

But while it had dealt pain, the armour softened the blow. With that in mind, Golisopod smirked and said tauntingly, "You should have kicked me in the side again. You know my head is well protected, right?" the fox sighing, "Why don't you stop bragging and try to hit me again?"

"Alright, I will," Golisopod retorted as he once again headed toward Umbreon. But just as she was ready to counter, she was caught off guard when he picked up the pace and rammed his elbow into her chest.

It did not end there as he lifted her up by the shoulders, flipping her upside-down. The crowd gasped, Eevee staring in shock as he allowed Umbreon to slide down until her thighs were at the same level as his hands. He then pierced both those parts with his claws and exclaimed, "FOUR PRONGED BOMBER!" ramming her back hard against the canvas.

"Things started off strong for Umbreon," Yukiko stated, "but it seems as if Golisopod has seen past her tactics as he connects a devastating powerbomb! The move itself is already powerful enough, but add his large claws to the mix and you got yourself a deadly combination!"

With the fox lying on her back, Golisopod saw a perfect opportunity as he lifted his foot and stomped it repeatedly against her gut. The crowd stared in horror, some members holding their hands up to their mouths while the trilobite said, "Now, see, this actually feels satisfying! I had to work hard to get you in this position!"

"Too bad it wasn't meant to last," Umbreon retorted as she regained focus and lifted her arms, grabbing hold of his ankle.

Golisopod's eyes widened as she forced the foot away from her. This caused him to hop back slightly, losing his balance when the fox propelled herself up, sending her feet into his gut. Then with the trilobite distracted, she righted herself up and raced behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist.

No one besides Eevee could believe what they witnessed next as with little effort, Umbreon managed to lift Golisopod high above her head. She then leaned backward and planted his skull into the canvas, the crowd going wild while Yukiko said, "Just as it looked like Umbreon had lost the upper hand, she gets it back with a powerful kick and a suplex!"

"Wow, she is very strong," Popplio uttered as Eevee sighed, "Yeah, she's always been a lot stronger than she looks," her arms folded while the seal stared at her with concern.

But just as it looked like Golisopod could not possibly get the advantage back, he implied a smirk and said, "I find it funny how you got after Eevee for her rash thinking when you seem to have forgotten twice that my head is protected by armour."

With that in mind, he shifted his hands so they were aimed at Umbreon's sides, sending them inward and piercing those exact spots. He then removed his claws as she winced and released her hold on him, allowing him to roll away from her and right himself up. The crowd stared in horror as Yukiko stated, "And once again, Golisopod turns the tides back in his favour with those deadly claws of his."

With Umbreon distracted by the pain to her sides, Golisopod took full advantage of this and loomed over her, piercing the sides of her head with the claws attached to his head. He also pierced her arms just like he had for Eevee, yet despite how skinny they were, he only found himself able to insert the tips into them as opposed to forcing them all the way through. But while this was confusing, all that mattered to him was that she was trapped in place.

As such, he leapt into the air and leaned forward, Umbreon's belly now facing the canvas while he exclaimed, "EIGHT PRONGED SLAM!" slamming her hard into the surface as she tried her hardest not to cough up blood.

The crowd was truly devastated as Yukiko whimpered, "Could this be the end, folks?" Golisopod removing his claws and standing tall and proud, saying, "Well, you at least provided a decent challenge, but in the end, no one can stop me."

Even Eevee could not believe what she had seen. As nice as it was to see that her sister was not as perfect as she made herself out to be, she did not actually want her to lose. But when Popplio turned to her, she immediately folded her arms and pretended not to care.

But just as it seemed like Popplio would have to take Umbreon's place, the fox opened her eyes and noticed his back was turned to her. As such, she thought, 'I knew it,' before rising to her feet and sending a two-handed karate chop into the back of his head.

The crowd gasped as Golisopod's eyes widened, the trilobite turning and shouting, "You're still able to move!?" Umbreon remarking, "Of course. I allowed you to hit me so you'd think I'd been defeated."

"As impressive as that is, you still made the mistake of attacking my head," Golisopod retorted only for his eyes to widen when he heard a light cracking sound. He then felt around when his claws pushed a few small fragments off, all of them landing on the mat next to him.

Now the trilobite was scared for the first time as Umbreon folded her arms and said, "I could have easily aimed all of my moves at your flesh, but I figured it would be better to remove your shell and make you less of a threat. And I figured I'd start with the helmet."

"Sacre bleu," Popplio uttered, "That is truly incroyable," as Eevee bit her lower lip and grumbled, "I should have known it was intentional."

As such, she leapt up and delivered a series of kicks to his skull before leaping away, the crowd gasping while the cracks got bigger and more shards fell off. With that in mind, Golisopod scowled and spat, "Alright, I was having fun before, but no more! I'm gonna end this right now!"

He then raced toward the fox with his arms raised. But when he sent his claws downward, she took hold of his wrists and leaned backward, planting her feet into his gut thus sending him high into the air. She then leapt up as a dark aura surrounded her arms and legs. She wound up leaping high enough that she was above the trilobite as she threw all four parts downward, planting them hard into his back.

The crowd stared in awe as she shifted her legs back, wrapping them around his and using them to flip him over so his skull was facing the mat. She then latched onto his arms and spread them out, shouting, "SOARING RAVEN!" his head making contact with the canvas while his eyes went wide with terror.

The crowd went wild as Golisopod coughed up a bit of green blood, the cracks spreading until the armour covering his entire upper body burst open, revealing more purple flesh. And with his head slightly open, he could no longer handle the pain and thus his eyes rolled to the back of his head, Umbreon releasing her hold and allowing him to collapse.

After a few seconds, Yukiko nodded and rang the bell, exclaiming, "And after a very intense match, Umbreon has won and saved Tokyo!" the arena erupted with cheers and applause, Eevee biting her lower lip while Popplio took a deep breath and sighed, "Well, you can't deny this is the better result."

The fox said nothing in response to this. She did not even try to stand up for herself this time. Instead, she slowly got up from her seat and made her way toward the side of the ring.

Umbreon blinked when she noticed this and asked, "What now?" Eevee saying, "Good job, sis. I have to admit, I was a little worried about you back there, you know, when he used his Eight Pronged Slam on you."

Umbreon stared for a few seconds before narrowing her eyelids and sighing, "You should worry more about yourself," before leaping out of the ring and exclaiming, "There, I have saved you all from this threat! Hopefully, this will be the last time that I leave my post, but I'm glad you're all safe!"

While some member of the crowd could detect a hint of bitterness in that statement, they were still grateful that she came along. As such, they simply gave her one last bit of applause as she exited the arena, Popplio folding his flippers and scowling. While Umbreon may have been a great fighter, he could now see why Eevee hated her so much.

Even so, he felt now was not the time to stir up more drama and thus he rose up from his seat and approached Eevee. The fox turned to him as he smiled and patted her on the shoulder, saying, "Come on, let's go home and have a nice rest, oui?"

"Yeah, okay," the fox uttered as she nodded her head and exited the arena with him.

An hour later, Mapin was having dinner at home now that she was strong enough to move. She would have gone to her parents' house again, but she preferred to be alone right now. After all, she was currently more disappointed by recent events than Eevee.

Machop sent her to text to make sure she was okay, though, as she assured the woman that she was feeling fine. But deep down, she knew that she was an embarrassment to the Mach family name. The fact that she had graduated felt like nothing short of a miracle now.

As such, she took a deep breath and headed outside. Thankfully, not only had she saved up her allowance for years, but Hero Planet's government had also given her and every other hero payment so they could afford a decent living. As such, she knew what she had to do.

After hailing a cab, she had made her way to the nearest airport she knew of. She took a deep breath and noticed that there would be a trip to Hawaii available soon. As it so happened, her great grandfather, Machamp, used to go there to get away from his problems. However, the real reason she wanted to go was because of a famous story in which Machoke got over his first loss and improved significantly as a hero after taking a trip there himself. That was what Mapin hoped to achieve.

'Wait for me, guys,' the girl thought with a smile, 'Once I return, I'll be able to truly fight alongside you and live up to the Mach family name.'

Some time later, Eevee was lying in bed with a plain expression on her face. She did not look depressed, just neutral. This was the first time she had been deep in thought in a very long time, and it was all on account of Umbreon's words.

However, her train of thought ended when she heard a punching sound come from her phone. That was the ringtone for when she received a text. Therefore, she reached over and picked up the device, her eyes and mouth wide open when she saw what it said.

A light tear rolled down her cheek as she sniffed, "Umbreon's right. Not only are we unfit to protect Tokyo, but now the team's falling apart!" setting down the phone with the screen still on.

Of course, the text was from Mapin who had told her friends that she needed some time away from Tokyo. And while she truly intended on this being temporary, Eevee saw it as a resignation.

Needless to say, the fox was not the only one to receive the text. Popplio, Machop and Isamu got it as well, and while not as devastated as the fox, they still could not believe their eyes. As if her absence was not bad enough, the fact that she had not breathed a word of this to anyone was alarming.

While Tokyo had been saved this day, it seemed as if this might not last long. Who was to say Tokyo's heroes would be ready for the next threat that came up, especially now that they were down a member?


	8. Chapter 8

It had been a very bad night as after Mapin let her friends and family know that she would be off in Hawaii for an unspecified period of time, they had gotten very little sleep. Had Eevee not been in a tough fight that day, she would have had even more trouble.

Each one had a different reason for staying awake for so long. Eevee felt as if this whole thing had been inevitable from the start while Popplio spent half the night racking his brain over why the girl would leave. Though the ones taking it the worst were Machop and Isamu, who felt as if they were somehow responsible for their daughter's departure.

However, once morning rolled around and Popplio woke up with bags under his eyes, he got up and headed toward the mirror. He looked at his reflection for a few seconds before sporting a more serious look and thinking, 'Alright, that's it. If we're going to be down one member, we may as well do the best we can.'

Feeling a new sense of confidence, the seal called up Eevee. However, he was a touch worried when the fox, who would normally answer her phone right away, did not pick up after three rings. And just as it neared the sixth and final one, she finally answered and uttered, "Hey, Popplio. What's going on?"

The seal could hear her trying her hardest to sound enthusiastic about the day, and he could not blame her one bit. But even so, he figured he could cheer her up as he said, "Hey, Eevee, I was thinking of going to a nearby gym to train. You wanna join me?"

"That sounds good, but maybe later," Eevee replied, "I have my own business to attend to for the time being," as Popplio replied, "Oh, oui. I understand entirely. You'd better get that done right away."

Shortly after the two said their goodbyes and hung up, the seal lowered his eyelids and sighed, "Why did I actually buy that?"

As it so happened, Eevee had gone to the Tokyo Day Club as she was currently sipping on a light-red drink through a straw. She let out a hiccup as the owner sighed, "Look, Eevee, I think you've had enough," only for the fox to retort in a slurred tone, "Hey, look, owner person, look-"

"I have a name," the man sighed as Eevee remarked, "Hey, don't interrupt me, owner person," the man shrugging and uttering, "Fine, owner person it is," the fox adding, "I'll tell YOU when I-I've had enough."

She then let out another hiccup while the man headed into the back, saying, "That's the last freebie. Any more you'll have to pay for," Eevee chuckling, "Okay, owner person. I understand," before taking another sip.

At that moment, Popplio entered and approached the fox, groaning, "I knew you'd be here, but I didn't think you'd be drinking your problems away."

"Oh, hi Popped Leo," Eevee said with a light chuckle as she reached over and gave his nose a pinch, causing it to squeak as his eyes widened, the seal covering it up out of embarrassment with the hope that no one else heard it.

All the while, Eevee took another sip and asked, "Say, you ever try one of these cocktail things? They have alcohol in them, but they also have a bunch of sweet stuff to help you ignore it. I tell you, they're friggen amazing. Though I'm not really sure why they're called cocktails. Surely whoever came up with that name knew people would make immature jokes about it."

Popplio face-palmed and groaned, "Oh my god, you know, getting drunk won't solve anything," as Eevee let out a sigh and uttered, "Yeah, you're right," dropping the slurred speech.

The seal's eyes widened as she added, "Sorry. The truth is, I just found out that I can hold my liquor surprisingly well. I just figured pretending to be drunk might help me forget everything, but all it's doing is making things worse."

"For someone who's never been drunk before, that was way too convincing," Popplio remarked before sighing, "You are mad at moi, aren't you? You know, for taking Umbreon's side yesterday."

Eevee shook her head and replied, "I told you I wasn't and I meant it," the seal breathing a sigh of relief and asking, "Well then, are you mad at Mapin for leaving?"

"Well, I am upset, but I'm not mad at her," Eevee stated, "The truth is, I'm mad at myself. As much as it pains me to admit it, I think Umbreon might be right about me. Maybe I'm not fit to be a hero. I mean, I don't even have a signature move. What hero doesn't have a signature move?"

Popplio was about to retort as Eevee sighed, "You saw it too. The only reason I beat Tsareena was because Mapin softened her up for me. Maybe if I found Golisopod immediately after his fight with her, I may have actually stood a small chance."

"Non," Popplio remarked as the fox blinked, "Umbreon may not see potential in you, but I do. You may not be as physically strong, but you are the fastest member of this team and you even have some good moves in your arsenal, even if none of them are really all that special. Your problem when facing both of those opponents was that you're too reckless."

Eevee gave him a blank stare as he added, "In both those fights, you charged towards your opponents without even thinking," the fox's eyes widening, "Did you not even realize for a second what would happen if you rammed your head into solid armour? Of course it would have hurt you more."

"So you're saying that if I fight more like you, I might actually stand a chance?" Eevee asked as Popplio nodded and replied, "Well, that would be a start."

However, the fox's confidence left as soon as it appeared as she sighed, "Well, I don't think I can do that. Whenever I'm in a fight, I just can't resist going all out," Popplio shaking his head and retorting, "Non. I know you can strategize because I've seen you do it on occasion."

"Wait, you have?" Eevee remarked as even she had trouble believing this.

However, Popplio had a look of confidence while he nodded and replied, "Oui. For instance, back on Hero Planet, it looked like Clawitzer would beat you for sure. But when you saw us graduate, you did something I've never seen you try before. You used the turnbuckle as leverage to increase the speed of your flying kick, giving Clawitzer less time to respond."

"Oh yeah, I did do that, didn't I?" the fox uttered as the seal added, "And when you used your Frankensteiner on Tsareena, you used the knowledge you learned from Mapin's match against her. You knew aiming any other part of her head toward the mat would result in her hair saving her life, so you aimed her face toward it instead. That was pure brilliance."

"No it wasn't," Eevee murmured with her arms crossed on the table, "It was just common sense."

"Well, look at that!" Popplio exclaimed with a grin, "You're smart enough to know common sense! There are people out there who can't even figure that out under the most dire of circumstances, so for you to pull that off at such a crucial moment is nothing to scoff at!"

Eevee stared wide-eyed and asked, "Really?" the seal nodding as a light smile crossed her face. Perhaps she did have the potential to be a true hero.

"I've got an idea," Popplio suggested, "The truth is, while I do tend to think more logically, I also don't see myself as physically strong enough to handle a big opponent like Golisopod, and there's no doubt in my mind someone like him could very well turn up again. As such, I was thinking maybe we could both train together until we become so good that we won't even need a third member."

Eevee turned to him, staring deep into his eyes and nodded with a light smile before saying, "Let's do it, best buddy," the two pounding their fists together.

Meanwhile, on Hero Planet, Metapod was seated in his office with his back turned as this was the only way he could sit down. Luckily, since his eyes were on the sides of his head, he could in fact see from this direction and besides, he had a point on his back that resembled a nose, so anyone who spoke to him from behind would not feel too awkward.

It seemed that would come in handy very soon as a human woman with brown hair in a ponytail and roots under her clothing entered. This was Rinko, the second human in history with the power to fight the forces of evil. The reason she had roots for growing out of her was because a villain by the name of Jumpluff had planted them into her to lower her spirits, and while it worked at first, the roots gave her new powers in the end.

"Ah, if it isn't the most inspiring of all our instructors," Metapod said with an implied smile, "What's the word?" as the woman sighed, "My old comrades and I received a text from Machop."

"Ah yes, good old Machop," Metapod replied, "You know, my dad is really good friends with hers," as Rinko sighed, "I know. That's not the point. According to her, Mapin has left her post to go on some spiritual journey to Hawaii. She texted them to let them know."

"Wow, did she actually tell them that?" Metapod enquired as Rinko shook her head and sighed, "Nein, but apparently, Machoke went for the same reason once, so she figures Mapin might be doing the same."

"Well, guess there's nothing we can do about that," the chrysalis replied with a shrug as Rinko slammed her hands on his desk and retorted, "Was zum Teufel!?"

"Whoa, language," Metapod remarked, "I may not be German like you, but even I know what that means," as Rinko growled, "Don't avoid the issue! Seriously, you know how important Tokyo is and yet you act as if them losing a member means nothing!"

The chrysalis let out a sigh and said, "Just relax, okay? The reason I'm not in a big panic about this is because I already know the perfect replacement for Mapin."

Rinko stared silently for a few seconds. She then blinked and uttered, "Really?" Metapod replying, "Really, really. In fact, I was planning to send him to Tokyo to help them out anyway, especially since I heard Mapin is so far the only one who hasn't defeated a single villain."

"Oh, so you were extra prepared," Rinko replied with a sigh, "I still find it alarming that she's gone, but at least you had a backup plan. So, who is it?"

"Hold on, he should be here to discuss further details with me any second now," the chrysalis said as there came four consecutive knocks on the door. As such, Metapod implied a smile with his eyes and said, "Come in."

With that, the door opened up as a green swallowtail caterpillar entered. He had four thin arms, a bright red antenna right over his circular mouth, ring-shaped markings down the sides of his body and a fairly long yellow attachment on the tip of his tail that resembled an exclamation mark. This was Metapod's son, Caterpie, though Rinko hardly saw this as unusual as he would often come to the chrysalis' office to pay him a visit.

Rinko blinked and bowed her head, saying, "Hallo, Caterpie. How are you today?" the caterpillar replying, "I'm just fine and dandy, Miss Rinko," rubbing the back of his head with a smile as the woman turned to Metapod and asked, "So how long until the actual replacement gets here?"

The chrysalis gave her an odd look as it suddenly started to sink in. As such, Rinko's eyes widened while she snapped, "WHAT!?" Caterpie turning to her with a look of confusion.

"I know, right!?" Metapod exclaimed with an implied smile, "You see, my boy here is a lot tougher than you all think he is," Caterpie placing his hands against his sides and nodding with a look of pride.

"Look, Herr Chairman," Rinko uttered, scratching the back of her head, "I think it's wonderful that your son is so eager to fight evil, but shouldn't he at least take classes and a final exam like everyone else?"

Caterpie blinked and uttered, "You know, Dad, she kinda has a point," only for Metapod to wave his arm with a chuckle and reply, "Nonsense. You're my son. I already know you're more than capable of defeating even the mightiest of foes. Besides, no son of mine is undergoing such gruelling torment."

"You know that 'gruelling torment' is meant to make the students stronger and prepare them for the battles on Earth, right?" Rinko sighed as Metapod remarked, "Of course I do, but Caterpie doesn't need that, do you, son?"

Just hearing his father say that immediately caused the caterpillar to forget about the point Rinko had brought up. Therefor, he gave his father a cute smile and replied, "You're absolutely one hundred percent right as always, Daddy dearest!"

Rinko let out a sigh and gave Metapod a look as if to tell him that he had better have known what he was doing. After all, sending his own son out into the battlefield was one thing, but to not even have him trained first just seemed like really bad parenting. But she knew that the last thing the chrysalis wanted was to get rid of his son. After all, he genuinely loved and cared about Caterpie, so perhaps deep down, he did know what he was doing. It just did not seem that way, not in the slightest.

Back on Earth, Eevee and Popplio had gone to the seal's house as the fox frowned and grumbled, "Why is your home so much nicer than mine?" Popplio sighing, "Do you want to start training or not?"

Eevee took a deep breath and groaned, "Okay," the two entering the back yard as this seemed like the best place. After all, Eevee lived in a condo suite, so there was nowhere within her property that she could go to train without breaking anything.

Popplio then grinned and said, "Now, I will come at you with full force. I won't hold back," as Eevee nodded with a serious look.

With that in mind, the seal tucked himself into a ball and rolled toward Eevee, barking, "CIRCUS BALL!"

Eevee knew to leap out of the way, however, she wound up doing it too soon as Popplio leapt up toward her level and exclaimed, "BOUNCING BALL STRIKE!" hitting her in the forehead with his tail. Thus the fox fell on her back while the seal backed away from her, sighing, "You had the right idea, but you have to wait for just the right moment before trying that otherwise you give the opponent time to react and change their strategy."

"I knew it," Eevee groaned as she sat upright and folded her arms, "I really can't think logically like you," the seal sighing, "Are you seriously giving up after failing once? Where's all that spirit you used to have?" the fox nodding and rising to her feet.

Sure enough, the two kept at it for another hour with a variety of different moves, but ultimately, Popplio managed to hit Eevee with every single move he attempted while the fox was unable to land a single hit on him. However, when the seal attempted his Circus Ball technique for the fiftieth time, Eevee finally seemed to figure it out as she leapt to the side at the last second.

Popplio retracted from his ball-like state and blinked, his eyes sparkling as he said, "Look at that. You finally dodged one of my moves," Eevee squealing, "YES! I DID! THANK YOU SO MUCH!" giving her seal friend a big hug, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets.

"Oui, you certainly did," Popplio uttered with a light chuckle, patting her on the back, "Now can you let me go? I can't breathe, mon amis."

During this time, Mapin arrived at Hawaii, specifically Maui as this was where both Machamp and Machoke would go to cure whatever ailed them. She looked around at the sunny sky and the nice beach before saying, "Oh yeah, I can see why they liked coming here so much."

Unbeknownst to her, though, an odd rooster-like being seemed to be spying on her. Whoever this creature was, one could not help but wonder what his intentions were.

As the girl walked along the area, she looked back and forth, thinking, 'Oh yeah, there should be a couple of heroes here, right? I forgot who they were.'

But before she could think further, she spotted a rock formation in the distance that would give her a perfect view of the ocean. Her eyes sparkled as she figured this could help her find the answers she sought.

With that in mind, she headed to that exact spot and sat on the edge of the formation. She then rested her chin against her fist and looked at the waters below. But after five minutes, she spread out her arms and fell backwards, sighing, "Dammit, that didn't help at all. Now I'm even more lost!"

She then noticed a cloud formation that resembled her grandfather, Machoke, in his prime. Another featured Machop back when she was in her teens. And then Mapin saw one that resembled herself, only she was old, decrepit and weak.

'What is this?' she thought with tears in her eyes, 'Is that my future?' before sitting upright and burying her face in her hands, "I came here to become stronger, but all this trip has done is make things worse! I'll never be good enough, will I?"

"Is that what the world has been feeding you?" came a deep voice from behind the girl as she blinked and turned around. And sure enough, standing there was the stranger who had been following her since she arrived.

His head and torso were black while his chest, eyes and head had white markings on them. Extending from his chin and up his head was a large, orange plume with bristles all along the backside, the front resembling a beak. His hip area resembled a grass skirt with four pointed projections spread outward, one on each side of his hip area. He also had long legs and hands that resembled big rooster beaks. Yellow rings surrounded his shoulders and each of his wrists had a large yellow shell that resembled half of a bird mask.

"Are you one of the heroes assigned to this area?" Mapin uttered, "Because I don't remember you," the rooster shaking his head and replying, "No, I am a spiritual guide for those in need. My name is Tapu Koko."

Just from one look in his eyes, Mapin had a feeling that she could trust this mysterious rooster. As such, she rose to her feet and followed him off of the rock formation, but where he was leading her was a mystery.

The rest of the day was quite peaceful as, due to their lack of sleep the previous night, Eevee and Popplio decided to have a nap in his place after all of their training. The seal of course slept in his bed while Eevee claimed the couch as she figured the two sleeping together would be awkward.

However, their peaceful time was interrupted when they heard the doorbell ring, Popplio grunting from his room, "Eevee, can you go see who that is!? I was having a really nice dream!"

"Okay!" Eevee groggily called back as she let out a yawn and shifted her head back and forth.

As she opened the door, her eyes widened when she saw a certain caterpillar standing right there and saying, "Oh, good, I heard one of you was living here. I guess that's you, eh?" Eevee sighing, "I wish. This is Popplio's. I'm just spending some quality time here."

"Wow, you're so close that you're visiting each other!" Caterpie squealed, "I'm going to love fighting alongside you!" Eevee blinking and asking, "Wait, what?"

The caterpillar cleared his throat and stated, "Right, I probably should have cleared this up earlier," before striking a dramatic pose and announcing, "I am Caterpie, the son of Metapod! We heard that you have lost one of your own, so I have been sent to assist you in her place! I promise that I will use all of my cunning and mad skills passed down to me through generations to be the best ally I can be!"

Eevee stared awkwardly as even she found that to be too over the top. But despite that, she gave the caterpillar a light smile and said, "Well, pleased to meet you," holding out her hand as the caterpillar shook it, saying, "So polite."

The fox then called to Popplio to let him know that he needed to see this. And needless to say, he was even more surprised than Eevee when he heard that the son of Hero Planet's chairman would be fighting alongside them.

"I have to say, this is an enorme honour," he said with a smile as Eevee blinked and uttered, "He's just a new ally. I mean, okay, he's the son of who I guess must have been great otherwise it wouldn't matter."

"Do you seriously not know who Metapod is?" Popplio remarked before Caterpie blinked and laughed, "Oh, man, I'm going to love working with you guys! You even have a great sense of humour!"

The seal laughed nervously and sighed, "Non, she was being serious," Eevee giving him an awkward stare, Caterpie sighing and looking down, thinking, 'I thought everyone was supposed to know my dad.'

Once the seal explained that Metapod was the chairman of Hero Planet, Eevee's eyes widened as she gasped, "So it's like we have a major celebrity with us now!" as Caterpie smiled and said boastfully, "Why yes, I guess it is! But I don't want you giving me any special treatment just because I'm the chairman's son. As such, I would like to invite you to my new home for dinner."

"That is tres gentil of you," Popplio replied as Caterpie folded his arms and smiled with pride, Eevee squealing, "Well, I don't even care about all of that! I just think it's awesome we have a new friend!"

She then shook each of his four hands individually as he thought, 'Friend?' a big smile forming as his mind added, 'This just got even better.'


	9. Chapter 9

Once the evening rolled around, Eevee and Popplio were headed to Caterpie's new home for dinner. But when they arrived, they were shocked to see that he had been given a mansion. Not only that, but he was currently standing outside with a suit designed just for him and waving his right arms at them.

"And the chairman's son gets a mansion," Popplio uttered, "Why didn't I see this coming?" as Eevee shrugged and squealed, "Who cares!? Let's just go in and eat already!" speeding toward the door while the seal shook his head with a light chuckle.

Before dinner could start, Caterpie decided to give them a tour of the estate as Popplio noticed many servants, all of which were either caterpillars, butterflies, bees or wasps. And of course, Metapod had hired and each and every one of them to wait on him.

"Wow, so I guess you must have a personal trainer too, right?" Eevee asked as Caterpie shook his head and replied, "Dad offered one, but I told him I wouldn't need one."

"Wow, how did he take that?" Popplio remarked, the caterpillar chuckling and remembering it like it was yesterday, mostly because it had happened earlier that day.

He was just about to leave with all of the servants by his side when Metapod said, "Before you take off, I forgot your personal trainer," pointing at a cuboid larva with large, beefy arms and muscular legs.

Caterpie simply shook his head and replied, "It's okay, Dad. It's like you said. I'm already strong for my size. It's in my blood, right?"

Rather than protesting against this decision, Metapod had tears in his eyes as he gave his son a tight embrace, sniffing, "You make me so proud!"

Popplio lowered his eyelids while Eevee said, "Well, if you ever need a sparring partner, we can help you out. Popplio's been giving me all kinds of great pointers today," a cute grin on her face as the seal blushed brightly, a light smile forming.

"Well, like I said, I don't think I'll need it," Caterpie replied with a shrug, "But hey, thanks for the offer. I greatly appreciate it."

His eyes then sparkled as he cupped his hands together, sighing in a heavenly tone, "Oh lord, thank you for blessing me with true, blue friends," Popplio groaning, "I really hope he can back up those claims."

Soon enough, everyone was seated in the dining hall for dinner. Though while the table they were seated at was a lot smaller than they thought it would be, it was only because for whatever reason, the area was set up more like a fancy restaurant with separate tables all over the place. Even Eevee could not help but find it excessive, though neither she nor Popplio had the heart to say it.

Once three butterflies flew over and handed them their food, Caterpie held up a glass of champagne and exclaimed, "Let us share a toast for new friends and a brighter tomorrow!" Popplio and Eevee smiling and clinking their glasses together.

During this time, four strangers dressed in cloaks entered Tokyo as a female sighed, "Pookie, when are we going to just pick a town?" a male remarking, "We've been through this a hundred times. We're looking for the perfect place to make our own."

"But don't you think that's asking a little-?" the female asked only for the male to hold up a skinny white paw with sharp claws, looking around and grinning.

"No need to worry," he said with a smirk, "I think I've found just the place," before turning to the other two and asking, "What do you think?"

"It has a nice atmosphere to it," replied a rather short one in a high-pitched female voice as a taller one added in a thick Romanian accent, "Yes, I can imagine feeling content in a place like this. Though how do you suppose we should take control? We'll need a way to get the people's attention."

"Maybe we can just become official citizens," the taller female suggested, "Why do we have to-?" only for the male to give her a cold stare as she sighed, "Right, sorry. You know best."

The male nodded and remarked, "Don't forget the reason we're doing this, honey pumpkin. You know we can't settle down anywhere without taking control of it. But since I know how much you would rather avoid casualties, we will need some way to get them to surrender."

The female grinned and nodded, replying, "Of course," feeling a touch at ease now that she knew no one would have to be harmed, the Romanian shaking his head but saying nothing.

Soon enough, it was nine o'clock as Eevee and Popplio decided to head home. Caterpie insisted that they stay, but they would have rather slept in their own beds tonight. And as much as this confused the caterpillar, he ultimately accepted their decision while they headed out the door.

"I'll admit, while Caterpie does seem full of himself, he also seems like a nice guy," Popplio said with a shrug as Eevee grinned and squeaked, "I know, right!? That was the best meal I ever had in my entire life, oh, but don't tell Mommy I said that!"

The seal laughed and replied, "Don't worry, I won't," before sighing, "Still, even I must admit dining with the chairman's son is nice. I thought I'd have to work hard to earn such a privilege."

Unbeknownst to them, though, the strangers from earlier just happened to be leaning up against the wall outside the gate. They were deep in thought about a plan to get the deed to Tokyo without having to harm anyone when they overheard Popplio's words.

Their eyes widened as the fox and seal opened the gate, turning to them. They strangers bowed their heads while trying to act as natural as possible. Eevee smiled and bowed back, asking, "Nice evening, isn't it?"

"Yes, very nice," the tall female replied with a smile as she gave them a wave, revealing a big paw similar to that of her boyfriend.

Neither hero seemed to think anything of this as they headed along their way. After all, it was not as if beings like them living among humans was unheard of. Not only that, but every one of Caterpie's maids and butlers was a bug like him and Machop was an official Japanese citizen.

Once both heroes exited the area, the tall female was just about to point out how their kind could be accepted only for her boyfriend to smirk and ask, "Did you hear that?" stepping in front of the gate, "We're standing right in front of the home of a chairman's son!"

"So?" the Romanian retorted as the shorter female explained, "I think what he means is that a chairman would be really important."

"Exactly," the male remarked, "He may not be as important as, say, the mayor, but he's still got status and that works for me."

"Still, someone with a mansion like that must have bodyguards," the tall female uttered as the others turned to her. Thus she grinned nervously and replied, "I mean, I'd hate to hurt them. It's not like any bodyguards could defeat us, right?"

"That's my girl," her boyfriend said with a grin as he patted her on the shoulder, "Personally, I'd rather not waste my time and effort on a bunch of musclebound humans, anyway. We'll just need to wait until someone who looks really, really important steps outside."

With that, the group hid behind the wall, peering back every now and then to see if someone would emerge. However, when no one exited after a few seconds, the male sighed, "I'm bored. Let's just storm the place," the female about to protest before sighing, "Okay, Pookie. I'm just grateful you tried to do it my way."

"Wait, we might not have to," the Romanian replied as he directed everyone's attention to the balcony where Caterpie stepped out to look up at the stars.

"This is the happiest day of my life," he sighed, "Well, actually, it's more like my twenty-fifth happiest. There's all my birthday parties, my first, second, third and forth kiss, but whatever. It's just so good to finally have real, honest-to-god friends."

"That's not the chairman's son, is it?" the male uttered as the short female replied, "He is wearing a really fancy suit and tie."

"That doesn't mean much," the Romanian remarked, "But still, I can tell just from looking at him that he is the one we're looking for," as the male rubbed his head and said, "Wow, I wonder what company his father must run. I mean, I definitely wasn't expecting an insect."

"Actually caterpillars are-" the female uttered only for the male to push on the gate, grunting, "How is it locked!? I didn't see anyone-"

He then noticed that the lock was automatic as he sighed, "Alright, Noivern, fly us over," as the Romanian smirked and replied, "Gladly," before spreading out his arms to reveal they were actually wings. This also resulted in his cloak flying off and revealing his entire body.

He was a bat with a red V-shaped nose. His belly and the tips of his wings were purple while the rest of his body was black. He had a mane of white around his neck and his ears were huge and round. The insides were green with black stripes, making them resemble loudspeakers.

With his wings out, he had the male and tall female grab onto one leg each while the short female clung to his back. Thus he flew into the air and over the fence, landing on the lawn as the male said, "Hey, good job. You the man, Noivern."

Caterpie seemed to hear this. Thus he perked up and gazed down upon the strangers. However, rather than calling for help like they figured he would, the caterpillar leapt off of the balcony and landed before them, striking a pose and saying, "State your names and business!"

Neither of the strangers could believe what they were seeing, but either way, the male said, "We've come for you. You're gonna be our first step toward a better tomorrow."

The others were about to retort to him revealing such info without a second thought until Caterpie said, "So, four against one, eh? Well, wasn't expecting that on my first day on the job, but this is a good chance for me to show off my skills."

Thus the caterpillar took off his suit and struck a pose, adding, "I will warn you, though. I'm not as weak as my size would have you believe. After all, I'm the son of Metapod!"

"Mental Pod?" the male remarked, "Who names her kid Mental?" as the tall female replied, "I think he said his father's name is Metal Pod."

"NO, IT'S METAPOD!" Caterpie retorted with a sigh, "Seriously, my dad is the chairman of Hero Planet. How is it that I've already met five non-humans who don't know that?"

Upon hearing that, the female tensed up and uttered, "Pookie, did you hear that? He said Hero Planet," the male grinning and replying, "Yeah, he did. That means he's even more important than before! If we kidnap this guy, the whole world will have to bow down to us, meaning even those so-called heroes going around and saving lives will have no choice but to serve us. This is great!"

"Hey, I'll have you know I'm also one of those 'so-called' heroes, as you put it!" Caterpie retorted, "If you wanna kidnap me and use me as some sort of bartering chip, you'll have to beat me first!"

The others stared as even the female could not help but snicker. This only served to make the caterpillar angrier. As such, he barked, "STRINGSHOT!" and unleashed a strand of silk from his mouth.

Soon, the silk ran into the male's cloak and stuck there tight, thus allowing the caterpillar to pull it off. As such, he was revealed to be a light-brown wolf with a white underbelly that extended up around his muzzle. The tips of his pointy ears were dark-brown as were three spiked bits of fur coming from his neck. Finally, his tail and forearms were also white.

"You asked for our names earlier," the male wolf said with a smirk, "So I guess we may as well let him know the identities of his captors," the females nodding and removing their cloaks as well.

The tall female was a wolf as well, only she seemed to be naturally slouched forward. Much like the male, her arms, legs, belly and muzzle were covered in white fur, but the rest of it was red. And while the male had a mane of white fur around his neck, she had one going up the top half of her back to her head, meaning it looked more like human hair with a black streak hanging down in front of her face. Her eyes were completely pink, including the irises, making her look much more intimidating. She also had two small rocks that resembled claws attached to sides of her midsection and her paws were four times bigger than the male's. And while the male's ears were pointed upwards, hers were rounder and slanted downward.

Finally, the short female was a candle with a purple flame atop her head, stubby arms and no legs. One cute yellow eye could be seen on the left side of her face while a blob of wax resembling hair covered the right one.

Noivern introduced himself right away as the female wolf held up her claws menacingly and growled, "I'm Lycanroc!" the male wolf nodding and saying, "Nicely done, honey pumpkin."

Caterpie blinked when the candle giggled and said, "Hello, I'm Litwick. It's a pleasure to meet you," the male wolf adding, "And I'm the leader of the pack, Lugarugan! We'll make you wish you'd come peacefully instead of fighting us!"

At that moment, the caterpillar tensed up as he had to admit that all four looked really intimidating. Even Litwick gave off a menacing vibe, like her cute exterior was hiding something.

Even so, he had to be strong as he thought, 'Don't freak out, Caterpie! Remember what Dad told you! Besides, there was once a hero who fought alongside Lucario, Clauncher, and she was the shortest hero of her generation! If she was awesome enough to fight by his side, so am I!'

With that in mind, he positioned his lower hands against the ground so he could use them like legs, racing toward the group. But as he got close, Litwick's flame expanded in size thus causing her wax to melt. As a result, her arms became much longer as she wrapped them around the caterpillar. She then lifted him up and exclaimed, "CANDLE ROPE SLAM!" flipping him upside down and sending the back of his head into the ground.

It only got worse when Noivern flew over to him and lifted him up by the tip of his tail, carrying him into the air. He then descended toward the surface and shouted, "MOONLIGHT DROP!" dealing even more pain to Caterpie's head.

As the caterpillar lay there, coughing up green blood already, Lugarugan groaned, "Aw man, you didn't save any fun for us!" Lycanroc thinking, 'Well, at least I won't have to hurt him too.'

However, all four villains were shocked when Caterpie slowly pushed himself up, his right eye only half-open as he groaned, "No. I can still fight. Stringshot."

Once again, he unleashed his string only for Lugarugan to slash it open with his claws, saying, "Alright, Honey Pumpkin, let's end this together!" Lycanroc reluctantly nodding and replying, "Yes, Pookie."

With that, Lugarugan went down on all fours and charged at Caterpie while Lycanroc leapt onto his back, wrapping her legs around his waist. She then held her fists out as the two exclaimed, "DUAL ACCELEROCK!"

Caterpie tried to retaliate but found himself too weak at this point. As such, he was a sitting duck when Lycanroc's fists and Lugarugan's forehead rammed into him, sending him flying into a wall.

There was no doubt about it. Caterpie was out cold as Lugarugan stood upright and folded his arms, letting out a big laugh. He then wiped a few tears from his eyes and snickered, "Wow, what a dumbass! He really, truly believed he could stand up to us! Oh my god!"

Lycanroc nodded and uttered, "Yeah, what a moron, eh?" Litwick's wax returning to its original size while Noivern sighed, "That was a waste of effort."

"Yeah, yeah, I easily could have taken him by myself," Lugarugan replied with a shrug, "But quite frankly, I just wanted to get that over with as soon as possible. Now come on, let's go before someone spots us."

With all said and done, the group retreated into the night, Litwick melting some of her wax until it fell off. She then formed a rope with it and used it to bind the caterpillar in place to make sure he could not escape if he woke up.

The following morning, Eevee awoke to the sound of her home phone ringing, the fox rubbing her eyes and grumbling, "Who could be calling this early in the morning?"

She then approached the device and held it up as a female voice on the other end asked, "Hello, is this a Miss Eevee?" the fox replying, "Yeah."

"Oh, good," the speaker replied, "It's a good thing Caterpie is organized otherwise I wouldn't have found this list of numbers given to him by the government."

"How oddly specific," Eevee uttered as she shook her head and asked, "So, are you one of his maids?"

The conversation went on for a little bit longer until the maid asked if Eevee had seen Caterpie recently. Apparently, he was not in his bed when she went to check up on him and did not inform anyone that he would be leaving the mansion.

"No, I haven't," Eevee replied, "I only just woke up, and, well, he didn't spend the night here," as the maid replied, "Okay, thank you. If you find him, let us know," before giving her the phone number to the mansion.

Once the call ended, Eevee bit her lower lip and immediately called up Popplio, telling him about Caterpie's absence. Needless to say, the seal was just as concerned. As such, both raced out of the house and agreed to search for him separately in order to cover more ground.

But after two hours of looking and asking around for a big green caterpillar, it seemed as if no one had spotted him. Thus Eevee gave Popplio a call and sighed, "I've looked everywhere! Where could he have gone!"

"I know," the seal groaned, "I'm really worried about him. I can't help thinking he probably ran off to deal with crime by himself just to prove his so-called superiority."

"I dunno, he seemed really eager to work alongside us," Eevee replied when suddenly, she noticed a news report on a big-screen TV, many others stopping what they were doing to watch this.

"Hello, this is Sora Sakamoto, and I am here live in front of the mayor's estate where a caterpillar is being held hostage," a reporter stated while the camera zoomed in on Lugarugan with Caterpie struggling to free himself.

"Alright, people of Tokyo, I have with me the son of Hero Planet's very own chairman, Mental Padding!" Lugarugan stated only for Caterpie to retort, "IT'S METAPOD!" the wolf ignoring him and continuing, "Now, if you don't want to see this little guy get hurt or worse, you will all surrender yourselves to us and let us become the new rulers of Tokyo!"

While no one really knew Caterpie or Metapod, the fact that this worm was related to the chairman of Hero Planet was all the citizens needed to know. As such, everyone in the area fell to their knees, praying that at least one of Tokyo's heroes would come along to save them.

"Hey, Popplio," Eevee uttered, "Did you just see this latest news report?" a look of terror in her eyes. Not only had she not gotten in as much training as she would have liked to before another threat emerged, they were outnumbered this time and one of their allies had already been defeated. What could they possibly do?


	10. Chapter 10

Just as things were finally starting to look up, they had taken a turn for worse when Eevee and Popplio's new ally, Caterpie, was captured. As if that was not enough, he was currently being used as a bargaining chip to get everyone in Tokyo to surrender themselves to Lugarugan and his allies. And combined with Eevee only just starting to figure out how to improve combined with them being outnumbered, things could not have looked less favourable.

Even so, she and Popplio raced as quickly as they could toward the mayor's estate in the hopes that maybe they could make even a small difference. After all, they could not just stand around and do nothing.

"Look at all these people bowing to us," Lugarugan said with a grin as Lycanroc nodded and replied, "Yeah, we got everything we ever wanted, and we only had to hurt one person, right?"

"That's the spirit," the brown wolf replied with a laugh when suddenly, Eevee and Popplio showed up, breathing heavily, the fox pointing and growling, "YOU PUT DOWN OUR FRIEND RIGHT NOW!"

Caterpie let down a light tear as Lugarugan uttered, "Who are these two?" Noivern replying, "They're the ones who were leaving the mansion yesterday, you know, the ones who bowed to us."

"Wait, that was you under those cloaks?" Eevee uttered as Popplio slapped his forehead and sighed, "A group of strangers wearing cloaks. How did I not see this coming?"

He then shook his head and snapped, "Well, that doesn't matter! We are also heroes assigned to protect Tokyo, therefor we have come to stop you from taking over and save our friend!"

Lugarugan smirked wickedly, the others poised for battle when Lycanroc rested a paw on his shoulder and shook her head. Therefor he sighed and said, "No deal. If anything, we should be making all of the arrangements. Your friend's life is in our hands, so if you try to stop us, we might have to kill him."

Popplio tensed up and started to tremble all over. However, it seemed as if Eevee had a solution as she bit her lower lip, hoping this was not too rash. She saw little choice in the matter and thus she forced a smirk and folded her arms, asking, "What's wrong? Chicken?"

Litwick clasped her arms over her mouth while Lugarugan's eye twitched, the brown wolf retorting, "What!?"

"You heard me," the fox quipped, "You all seemed so threatening at first, but look at this. You have us outnumbered four to two and yet you're so unsure that you can win that you'd rather use empty threats to get us to play along."

Popplio stared at Eevee in shock. This all seemed extremely rash, but as much as it pained him to admit it, this really was the best option. As such, he forced a serious look and added, "Oui," Eevee turning to him as he added, "There was a time when my kind used to be called cowardly, and hell, people still joke about that. But right now, I feel like I'm looking at the true cowards."

Lycanroc could tell they were trying to bait her boyfriend as she uttered, "Pookie-" only for Lugarugan to bark, "ALRIGHT, FINE, YOU WANT A FIGHT!? YOU GOT IT!" before turning to the others and asking, "You guys up to this?"

"Sounds like fun," Litwick replied as Noivern added, "Indeed. This Caterpie fellow wasn't exactly much of a challenge for us."

"Alright, we'll have us a showdown in the forest just because that feels like an appropriate location," Lugarugan stated, pointing toward an area in the distance with lots of trees, "But as you said, you're outnumbered so it'll be tough beating us all at once."

Popplio tensed up until Eevee sighed, "Wow, so cowardly you can't even agree to one-on-one matches? You know that's how it usually works, right?"

Lugarugan blinked as Noivern nodded and stated, "She's not lying. That's been a tradition ever since the first hero, Pikachu, defeated Horsea in a wrestling ring."

With that in mind, the brown wolf sighed and nodded, saying, "Fair enough," as Lycanroc breathed a sigh of relief. At least now the odds of her having to fight either of them had lowered significantly.

And of course, Tokyo's citizens were relieved to have even a slight bit of hope. Even if Eevee had lost her match with Golisopod, they still wished to support her all the way.

"Anyway," Lugarugan stated, "since we'll be doing this one-on-one thing, I would like to claim-"

He was cut off when Noivern said, "Before you make your pick, I would like to request a match with that little firebrand right there," pointing at Eevee, the fox tensing up at the sound of that. After all, the bat was easily the most frightening member of the group.

Even so, the brown wolf seemed okay with this arrangement as he nodded and replied, "Alright, she's all yours. Besides, that seal pisses me off even more, especially for that comparison to the French!" Popplio trying his hardest not to look scared. While Lugarugan was not quite as scary as Noivern, there had to be a reason he was the leader of the group.

"Don't be too hard on him, okay?" Lycanroc asked as Lugarugan sighed, "I can't make any promises, but I'll try, okay, Honey Pumpkin?" a grin on his face while the red wolf nodded with a light smile.

While neither hero had heard their exact words, Eevee was entranced by their actions as she said, "So villains can fall in love," Popplio shrugging his shoulders and replying, "It's not like they're robots."

With all said and done, Lugarugan exclaimed, "Alright, people of Tokyo, you can go back to your normal lives for the time being! The fights will begin two hours from now, but once that happens and we inevitably win, you can all start kissing our feet."

And with that, the next hour flew by as many gathered to the forest to see the matches unfold. Lugarugan and his allies were seated in the front row with Caterpie next to him while Popplio decided to sit in the forth row to avoid being near them.

Bleachers had been set up around a ring as Noivern had agreed to go first. As such, he was currently preparing for his match in a secluded area, Lugarugan tapping his foot while seated in the front row and growling, "Dammit, I wanted to go first! Why did I let him talk me into this!?"

Lycanroc smiled and replied, "Look on the bright side, Pookie. Now the best has been saved for last," the brown wolf blinking and nodding his head before saying, "Yeah, you're right. I am the best, aren't I?" the red wolf blushing.

Yukiko arrived and took a seat behind a desk as she stated, "Alright, ladies and gentlemen, we are only an hour away from the first match to decide the fate of Tokyo! Will Eevee make this her first real win or will she need to be bailed out by her older sister for a second time?"

"Her sister had to bail her out?" Lugarugan snickered, "Now I'm glad I'm not fighting her. She sounds like a pushover," Lycanroc faking a chuckle of her own.

"Hey, shut up!" Caterpie retorted with a look of irritation, "Eevee's gonna kick your friend's ass and she'll make you pay too! You only beat me because you ganged up on me!" only to receive a roundhouse to the face, his eyes swirling while Lugarugan folded his arms and sighed.

Popplio frowned and crossed his flippers, thinking, 'Just you wait. Eevee has only been training with moi for a while and she's already taken a major step forward. I just know we'll see a new Eevee today.'

During this time, Machop and Isamu were watching this on TV. Isamu let out a sigh and said, "I really hope Eevee can pull this off. That Noivern guy looks even worse than Golisopod."

"Well, I have faith in her," Machop replied with a smile, "I feel like I learned a lot more from my losses than my victories back in the day and I'm sure it's the same for Eevee."

All the while, the fox was preparing an entrance while also working on her kicks, thinking, 'Okay, I'm going to think logically! No barrelling in! Wait for him to make the first strike and counter at the last second!'

She then took a deep breath as her mind added, 'Thank you so much, Popplio. Now I truly feel like I can win this.'

The remaining hour felt much longer than the first. Everyone just wanted the match to begin as the tension was killing them.

And once it was finally time, Yukiko stated, "Alright, folks, it's finally time for the first match to begin!" the crowd unable to contain its excitement while Lugarugan sighed, "Finally. Why did I decide on two hours, anyway?"

"I don't mind it," Litwick stated with a cute smile, "It adds tension."

"In the red corner," Yukiko stated, "hailing from Romania is a ferocious bat! Sure to give Eevee quite the challenge, Noivern!"

The crowd looked up as Noivern soared out of a tree high into the sky. He then allowed the sun's rays to go past him while he descended toward the ring and made a perfect landing. Afterwards, he folded his wings so they resembled a cape, the audience frightened.

'Look at how they tremble,' Noivern thought, 'It's like they already know I've won.'

"And in the blue corner is someone with a lot of spirit!" Yukiko stated, "Despite having lost to Golisopod two days ago, she's still more than eager to get into the ring and fight for our freedom! Everyone, give a round of applause for Eevee!"

The crowd as uncertain how to react as Eevee took a deep breath and thought, 'First the entrance.' Thus she entered the area with what looked like vampire hunting gear.

The crowd stared in confusion as she slowly made her way over to the ring, leaping into it and pulling out a crossbow. But rather than shooting an arrow, it fired confetti before she tossed it out of the ring along with the costume, everyone staring in confusion. While her first entrance was silly, it was something to get excited over. This was just weird.

Despite that, Noivern smirked and said, "I see what you did there. How fitting," while the crowd shrugged, even Yukiko having trouble figuring it out.

"That Noivern is giving her way too much credit," Lugarugan sighed as Lycanroc shrugged and replied, "I don't know. I thought it was pretty clever."

Caterpie, however, beamed and exclaimed, "That was awesome, Eevee! Way to show that you mean business!" Popplio clapping as well. This seemed to lift the crowd's spirits, thus they gave the fox a little applause, seeing as she had put a good amount of effort into it.

The fox's spirits rose as she grinned and cupped her hands together, waving them over her head. But just as quickly as she started, she stopped and put on a more serious look, saying, "I'll admit, I haven't exactly been the best hero for Tokyo so far. My first match was a fluke and, well, I lost my second match here. That is why today, I am going to truly earn a victory for the first time in my life!"

The crowd was even more excited while Yukiko asked, "Could it be that Eevee has gotten significantly better within a mere couple of days? For all we know, we may see some new techniques from her. We'll just have to wait and see."

Noivern grinned and said, "I admire your spirit, but that can only get you so far," before stepping toward the far side of the ring, Eevee following suit. And with both fighters in position, Yukiko rang the bell thus signalling the start of the match.

Unlike before, Eevee stood her ground and thought, 'I'm not falling for that again. I'll let him make the first move.'

However, Noivern immediately saw through this as he spread his wings out, saying, "Because you were the one who convinced our leader to set this up, I'll let you get in the first hit. Consider it a further expression of my admiration."

"WHAT!?" Lugarugan spat, his eyes wide with horror as he groaned, "Why would you do that!?" only for Lycanroc and Popplio to stare at him, thinking, 'Seriously?'

However, the seal was worried as he folded his flippers and his mind added, 'Whatever you do, Eevee, don't accept his offer.'

Unfortunately, Eevee did not seem to realize what Noivern was doing. As such, she smirked and thought, 'Wow, I didn't even have to wait. He's actually letting me hit him. He's gonna regret that.'

With that in mind, she bolted straight for him before Popplio's eyes widened, the seal barking, "EEVEE, STOP!" only for Caterpie to shout, "Yeah, show him what you're made of!"

To make matters worse, that was the only thing Eevee heard as Noivern waited for just the right moment. And once the fox was close enough, he took to the sky and sent a hard two-legged kick into her skull. The crowd gasped when Eevee's eyes and mouth widened, the fox backing up as Noivern took full advantage of this and performed a U-turn backwards, now heading straight for her as he sent his right wing into her neck.

"OH NON!" Popplio groaned, rubbing his temple while Eevee's back soon made contact with the turnbuckle, Noivern exclaiming, "BAT WING SICKLE!" And it only continued to get worse when Noivern placed a firm grip against Eevee's head, hurling her high above the ring.

All Yukiko could do was announce all of this while the bat flew up to Eevee's height and sent a kick into her leg, causing her to flip upside down. Then during her descent, her proceeded to flip one hundred and eighty degrees himself and wrap his wings around her, planting her skull into the canvas.

The crowd was mortified as Eevee already seemed to be down for the count, Noivern releasing her and allowing her to collapse. Popplio and Caterpie both let out cries of horror while Lugarugan exclaimed, "Oh yeah! That's gotta be the shortest fight in history! Way to go, Noivern!"

Lycanroc knew she should have been happy about this, but for some reason, she felt sorry for Eevee. After mustering up all that courage and setting this up, she still did not seem to stand much of a chance.

"Well, folks, this time Eevee did not land any hits at all," Yukiko uttered, "but unfortunately, results are results. Therefor, it pains me to say that-"

However, she stopped talking, Lugarugan snapping, "Hey, you gonna continue or-!?" the brown wolf's eyes and mouth widening as Noivern asked, "What's with that look?"

His eyes were wide as well when he heard something press down hard against the canvas. But before he could turn around, he winced when Eevee used her paws to propel herself off of the mat, sending a flying two-legged kick into his back.

The crowd went wild as Eevee proceeded to take hold of the thin part of his right wing, applying extra weight to his back thus knocking him on his belly. She then continued to hold onto his wing and pulled it upward, Popplio staring in stunned silence as he could not believe she had managed to pull that off against an opponent who was at full strength.

"Just as it looked like Eevee had already lost, she makes an incredible comeback with a kick and an arm lock!" Yukiko stated as the fox growled, "I told you, I'm going to make this my first real victory here on Earth! A few good hits will not be enough to take me down!"

'Nor will a couple of lucky shots be enough to take me down,' Noivern thought as he lifted up his wing while ignoring the extra pain that came with that action.

Seeing this, Popplio gasped, "EEVEE, LET GO RIGHT NOW!" the fox's eyes widening when she actually saw what the seal meant. With that in mind, she frowned and released her hold on Noivern's wing, leaping to the side.

"Yeah, that's more like it!" Caterpie exclaimed while Popplio breathed a sigh of relief, Lugarugan folding his arms and grumbling, "My god, this guy's really getting on my nerves. I'm actually thinking of freeing him."

However, he soon regretted those words when Litwick turned to him with a cold stare and uttered, "You mess with my wax and I'll wax you," the brown wolf frowning and grumbling, "Seriously, I'm supposed to be the leader."

Lycanroc gave him a light shoulder rub and a nervous grin as this seemed to calm him down. And while that went on, it seemed as if Eevee had run out of ideas while Noivern flew toward her with his wing out again.

Seeing this, Popplio smirked and stated, "Remember how you dodged my Circus Ball technique during training. Do that again," the fox's eyes sparkling as she waited for just the right moment.

Once Noivern was close enough, she leapt just high enough into the air to avoid taking in his wing a second time. As such, the bat's eyes widened as said part rammed into the turnbuckle. As a result, the bat took in slight pain while Eevee turned to face him, breathing heavily, a light open-mouth smile on her face.

The crowd continued to cheer for her as Yukiko stated, "Now I can see that Eevee wasn't kidding. Not only did she manage a good comeback, but she has even dodged a very powerful technique. We truly are seeing a new side to her, folks."

Popplio breathed a sigh of relief and folded his flippers with a proud smile, Caterpie smiling at Lugarugan and saying, "Look at that. You and your little pack are going down."

The brown wolf lashed out his claws and held one up to the caterpillar's chin, growling, "One more crack out of you and I might just go back on my word!" only for Lycanroc to give him a look of concern. Thus he lowered his paw and sighed, "I was kidding, Honey Pumpkin."

But just as quickly as Eevee's burst of confidence came, it seemed to leave her when Noivern turned to her with a smirk and said, "Well, would you look at that? You're actually worth my time after all. Guess I'll have to try a little harder to beat you now."

"You mean that wasn't even your best?" the fox uttered, "You're totally bluffing, right?" only for the bat to spread out his wings and fly toward her again.

Before the fox could use the same countermeasure as before, Noivern smirked and said, "Boomburst," before releasing thick blue sound waves from his ears.

Eevee did not even want to see what that did as she leapt to the side. But when the sound waves hit the mat, her eyes and mouth widened when an explosion appeared in that exact spot.

Unfortunately, that was the least of her worries as Popplio snapped, "EEVEE, FOCUS!" but it was too late as Noivern took full advantage of the distraction and sent his wing into her neck once more, shouting, "BAT WING SICKLE!"

Just like before, the fox's back made contact with the turnbuckle as she coughed up blood this time. The crowd stared in horror while Noivern proceeded to place his feet against her shoulders, lifting her high above the ring just like when he fought Caterpie.

Panic spread through the area as Noivern shifted his feet thus flipping the fox upside-down so he was grasping her feet. He then descended toward the mat and spat, "MOONLIGHT DROP!" slamming the fox's skull hard into the canvas as her eyes were now closed.

Thus the bat released his hold and flew backwards, allowing her to collapse as Caterpie groaned, "Oh man, I remember taking in that same move. It's a miracle I got up from that," Popplio tensing up and groaning, "Non. This isn't happening."

Silence filled the crowd until Lugarugan smirked and exclaimed, "Way to go, Noivern!" as Lycanroc nodded and said, "Yeah, he did it. There's no way that fox is getting up from that."

It seemed as if this really was over now as Eevee lay on the mat with her eyes still closed and her arms spread out. Had she lost once again or was there more up her sleeve? Needless to say, if she could not get back up soon, Tokyo's fate would be completely in Popplio's flippers.


	11. Chapter 11

Things could not have looked worse right now. Despite her best efforts, Eevee was still unable to stand up to Noivern as she was out cold. And after taking in so much damage, there was no doubt in anyone's mind that she would not be able to get back up.

As such, Yukiko bit her lip while Noivern folded his wings and said, "Well, she wound up being a slightly better challenge than I first thought, but still underwhelming," Lugarugan grinning wickedly and shouting, "Oh yeah! Tokyo's gonna be ours soon enough!"

After examining Eevee for a few seconds, Yukiko took a deep breath and rose her mallet, saying, "Well, it would seem that one miraculous recovery was all Eevee could pull off. Therefor this victory goes to-"

"ATTENDEZ!" Popplio barked as everyone, including the villains, turned and stared at him, "Eevee, I know this can't possibly be enough to defeat you! Noivern may be strong, but he's nowhere near Golisopod's level!"

The bat frowned in response to that statement as the seal added, "We may not have had a lot of time to train for this, but we still did and I believe that you can win this! It's okay that you made a couple of mistakes! You're still new to this sort of thing, so don't let that get you down!"

Lugarugan snickered as that soon grew into heavy laughter. And once he calmed down, he wiped a tear from his eye and sighed, "Oh, thank you so much. I needed a good laugh. I mean, wow, that was some serious Saturday morning cartoon shit right there! Do you get paid to make speeches like that?"

Popplio glared as Caterpie remarked, "I, for one, thought that was very inspiring," Lycanroc wanting to express agreement but choosing not to as she knew how Lugarugan would feel about that.

But as corny and predictable as the speech was, it seemed to work when Eevee slowly opened her eyes. Upon seeing this, Lugarugan stared wide-eyed and uttered, "Oh, come on, you've gotta be shitting me."

"Are you serious?" Noivern remarked while he turned and noticed the fox back on her feet. She took a few deep breaths and wiped some sweat off of her forehead before smirking and saying, "Like I already said twice, this will be my first victory on Earth. It'll take much more than that to defeat me."

Popplio stared silently for a few seconds before smiling and clapping, Caterpie letting down tears of joy. And soon enough, the audience joined the seal with loud cheers and applause. After the beating Eevee had taken in up to this point, this felt like nothing short of a miracle.

"Well, folks, it would seem this match is still going on as Eevee recovers from another powerful combination of attacks," Yukiko said with a glee, "Let's see if she can get back the momentum she had before."

The fox put on a more serious look and turned to Popplio, nodding her head. This was not only her way of assuring him but also to let him know that the next time he gave her advice, she would take it. As such, the seal smiled, folded his flippers and returned the gesture.

Noivern's eye twitched while he growled, "Alright, the next time I knock you out, stay down," before taking to the sky and flying toward the fox again.

"BOOMBURST!" he exclaimed as he unleashed the sound waves from his ears again. And just like before, Eevee managed to dodge the resulting explosion, only this time she leapt into the sky as Popplio snapped, "EEVEE, HE'S TRYING TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF YOUR POSITION AGAIN!"

And as it so happened, the seal was right as Noivern redirected his flight upward. As such, the fox sent both of her feet hard into his skull, causing just enough pain for him to lose focus. Seeing a golden opportunity, the fox wrapped her legs around his neck and used all her might to flip him upside-down.

The crowd watched in pure amazement, none of them able to comprehend how she had managed to muster up that much strength. But even so, their hope had risen immensely while Eevee wrapped her arms around Noivern's waist, sending his skull hard into the canvas with a tombstone piledriver.

The area erupted with cheers while Lycanroc and Lugarugan stared in shock and amazement. Even Litwick showed more emotion than usual as she said, "Wow. I never would have imagined someone so short piledriving someone so big."

As Eevee released her hold on Noivern and allowed him to collapse, Caterpie let down tears and sniffed, "That was a thing of beauty," Popplio clapping and exclaiming, "Tres bon, mon amis!"

"Even I can't believe what I just witnessed!" Yukiko shouted with a big smile, "Despite the massive difference in size and strength, Eevee managed to take advantage of Noivern's flight and set him up for a tombstone piledriver!"

The fox breathed heavily and stared at Noivern as he lay there with his eyes closed. She then sported a look of confusion and thought, 'That can't be it, can it? I feel like I've barely done a thing to him so far.'

But before she could contemplate this further, she panicked when Noivern shifted his hands forward fast enough to grab her ankles. He then looked up with a big grin and snapped, "Don't think I'm done for just yet!"

The audience trembled as he rose to his feet and swung Eevee into the turnbuckle. The fox groaned and ignored the pain when she saw Noivern flying toward her with his feet out.

Seeing that she had enough strength to retaliate, Popplio barked, "Use the turnbuckle to your advantage like you did against Clawitzer!" the fox nodding and flipping backward and balancing herself on top of the pole. Then just as Noivern was close enough, she propelled herself off of it with her right arm out and rammed it into his neck. Shockingly, this provided just enough force to knock him on his back while the crowd continued to cheer.

She just as she was ready to take it a step further, her eyes widened when Noivern lifted up his wings, took hold of her arms and growled, "I was hoping for a challenge before, but now I'm irritated!"

Eevee tried to free herself but was unable to as he shifted her right in front of his ears. The crowd gasped before Yukiko spat, "Is he about to do what I think he is!?" the bat smirking and exclaiming, "BOOMBURST!"

With that, he released the sound waves from his ears once more, and with Eevee unable to dodge, she took in the explosion as it engulfed her. She cried out in agonizing pain while her fur was soon covered in burns, the bat rising to his feet and hurling her face-first into the canvas.

The crowd gasped as Popplio asked, "Eevee, are you okay?" Caterpie trembling while Lugarugan sighed, "Oh, thank god. I have to admit, for a second there, I thought she might actually win."

Lycanroc gave him an odd look as he laughed nervously and uttered, "But that's ridiculous, right?" Litwick remarking, "No, I thought she would win too."

Because Noivern had been grasping onto Eevee when he unleashed the sound waves, his hands were singed as well. But despite this, he still seemed fine as he looked down at her and sighed, "As annoying as that was, you still fought valiantly and put up a better fight than I ever would have imagined. As such, I am honoured to have had you as my opponent."

However, he and the rest of the crowd were shocked when Eevee coughed up some soot and propelled herself upright, quipping, "You didn't think that would actually finish me off, did you?"

"No," Noivern uttered, shaking his head as Lycanroc had a hint of admiration in her expression. She could not believe someone two thirds of her height could take in that much punishment and treat it like nothing.

Noivern gritted his teeth and growled, "You just don't know when to quit, do you!?" before taking to the sky and barking, "BOOMBURST!"

He then unleashed his sound waves once more only for Eevee to leap to the side and avoid another explosion. However, she was shocked when he started to unleash more and more at a rapid pace, the canvas now covered in black spots. And it was only a matter of time until the fox was unable to dodge the blasts anymore. As such, she groaned, "Popplio, you got any ideas!? I don't think he's coming back down!"

The seal shook his head and sighed, "Even I don't know how to get around this," as Lugarugan smirked and said, "Well, it's been entertaining, but it looks like your friend there has run out of options. It's a shame, too. She came pretty close."

However, Caterpie seemed to have something in mind as he exclaimed, "Eevee, use the ropes!" the fox nodding and leaping atop them, propelling herself off. Unfortunately, Noivern saw this coming and sent more sound waves in her direction, the resulting explosion sending her careening into the mat as the crowd gasped.

Luckily, Eevee still had the strength to continue, but just barely. She breathed heavily and thought, 'What's the use? I'm just delaying the inevitable at this point. I might as well just lay down for ten seconds and give him the victory.'

As such, she pretended to be unconscious while Noivern remained in the air just to make sure. However, Popplio refused to accept this as he barked, "COME ON, EEVEE, GET UP! I KNOW YOU CAN DO IT!"

"Save your breath," Lugarugan retorted, "She's done," only for his eyes to widen when Caterpie narrowed his eyelids and chanted, "Eevee! Eevee!"

Hearing this, another audience member rose up from his seat and said, "Eevee. Eevee," a woman joining in as soon enough, the bleachers were filled with people chanting the fox's name. Even Popplio joined in after a while, Yukiko not sure whether to ring the bell or not.

Upon hearing this, Eevee bit her lower lip and let down light tears, thinking, 'I've never had this much support before. I can't let them down. But what can I do?'

It was then that she finally realized it. She had to come up with a signature move, something that could bypass Noivern's Boomburst. And she knew something she could try.

With that in mind, she rose back to her feet and gave Noivern a serious look, the bat tensing up as Lugarugan spat, "WHAT!?" Lycanroc equally shocked while Litwick said, "Don't be so surprised. She wasn't really unconscious."

"You knew that and said nothing?" Lugarugan grumbled as the crowd went wild, the area once again filled with cheers and applause, Popplio and Caterpie both letting down tears for they could not have been more relieved.

Unfortunately, Noivern was not as scared as he should have been, and thus he snickered and said, "So you're still able to move. Big deal. One more hit should finish you off."

However, Eevee had a confident smirk on her face as the bat readied more sound waves. Before he could unleash them, the fox leapt onto the top rope once more and propelled herself off of them, Noivern shouting, "BOOMBURST!"

But just as the attacked was about to hit, Eevee tucked herself into a ball and spun at a rapid speed. Thus when the sound waves were close to her, she whizzed right through them. As such, the explosion appeared too late to stop her as Noivern's eyes and mouth were wide with horror.

He let out a loud cry when Eevee rammed herself hard into his gut, causing him to cough up blood and exclaiming, "FLYING FOX WHEEL!"

The crowd stared in wonder while Noivern's eyes rolled to the back of his head. He then leaned backwards and descended toward the canvas. And after a few seconds, his back made a connection as he lay there with his head turned to the side and his wings spread out.

Once Eevee landed, she breathed heavily with her eyes wide with shock. Even after having come up with this all by herself, she still could not believe she had pulled that off. But even so, there was no doubt that Noivern was out like a light.

"And after a long and intense match, we have a winner!" Yukiko exclaimed as she excitedly rang the bell, the cheers from the crowd getting louder.

"OH MY GOD!" Lugarugan spat while he clung to the sides of his head, "HOW IN THE HELL DID SHE DO THAT!?" Lycanroc gulping and cooing, "It's okay, Pookie. There's still three of us left."

Hearing the cheers and applause filled Eevee with happiness she had never felt before. Sure, this was not the first time she had gotten such a reception, but this was truly the first time she had earned it. As such, she lifted her arms in the air with a big open-mouth smile on her face.

Machop's eyes sparkled as she squealed, "Did you see that, Isamu!? She sure showed him!" the man rolling his eyes and sighing, "Yeah, she's slowly becoming a miracle worker just like you," kissing the woman on the cheek.

Caterpie whistled at her and exclaimed, "You're amazing!" Popplio sighing, "Not only did she win, but she invented her own finishing move. I'm so proud of you, mon amis."

And with all said and done, Lugarugan rose from his seat while trying his hardest not to look butthurt. Needless to say, it was hard for someone like him as he glared at Popplio and grunted, "You'd better be ready for the beating of your life! Once I deal with you, your friend is next!"

"Pookie, calm down," Lycanroc protested only for the brown wolf to turn toward her and direct his gaze over to Caterpie.

As such, Lycanroc nodded and realized this meant she was to watch over him. This was all Lugarugan needed to know before heading to a secluded area, Popplio nodding and rising from his own seat to prepare.

But before he could do that, Eevee exited the ring and ran over to him to give him a big hug. The seal chuckled and patted her on the back.

"That was incroyable," Popplio said with a warm smile, "But how did you come up with that?"

"Well, it wasn't completely my idea," Eevee replied with a look of embarrassment, "See, I just remembered that my mommy used to use a similar move to finish off most of her opponents. Though when she used it, it was called Flaming Fox Wheel and involved her, well, lighting her entire body on fire. See, she's a fire type."

Eevee remembered when her mother, a reddish-orange fox named Flareon, demonstrated the move for her and Umbreon when they were both really young. Afterwards, she winked at each of them and said, "Come up with your own powerful moves and you'll be as awesome as me someday."

Popplio nodded and said, "Well, completely original or not, that was still amazing," as he headed off and added, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have my own match to get ready for."

Eevee nodded and gave him a thumb up, squealing, "Break a leg!"

The seal nodded and headed off, Caterpie letting down tears and thinking, 'So that's the power of friendship. One of these days, I'll be able to make use of it! Just you wait, world!'

After seeing all of that, Lycanroc was concerned as she whimpered, "What if that seal ends up being stronger than he looks, too? I hope my Pookie ends up okay."

Litwick said nothing but felt more than confident. After all, Lugarugan, while not the most physically strong in the group, was still the best fighter. As such, there was no doubt in the candle's mind that he would win this match and leave Eevee to fight all three of them by herself.

While both fighters prepared themselves, Lycanroc turned to Caterpie and sighed, "I'm so sorry. If this was up to me, I wouldn't use you as a hostage, but this was the only option."

"How in the hell was using me the only option!?" the caterpillar retorted as the red wolf sighed, "Look, my Pookie, I mean Lugarugan believes that this is the only option. If only you knew what we've been through our whole lives, you'd understand why we're doing this."

Litwick turned to face Lycanroc and said in a menacing tone, "You'd better not say anymore otherwise your boyfriend will be really mad," the red wolf biting her lower lip and nodding.

Caterpie gave her an odd look but shrugged his shoulders and turned back to the ring. Hopefully Popplio would win. After all, if the leader fell, who was to say the others would want to continue?

Once twenty minutes had passed, Litwick gave Yukiko a signal with her flame as the woman nodded and stated, "Alright, folks, it's just about time to begin the second match of the day," the crowd now even more excited than before, especially after Eevee's victory.

Eevee grinned and said, "Come on, Popplio, show us those mad skills that shaped me into a good fighter," as the seal heard the announcement and smiled, thinking, 'Good, they gave me just enough time to set up my first real entrance.'

"In the red corner is a fierce wolf who leads this pack of villains," Yukiko stated with an over-dramatic look on her face, "Sure to terrify us all with speed and skills, Lugarugan!"

'Not a bad intro,' the brown wolf thought as he sprinted toward the ring on all fours. Once he was close enough, he leapt into the air and performing a backward flip, landing firmly on his feet with his arms spread out. He then howled up at the sky while his mind added, 'That would have worked so much better if it wasn't daytime right now, but oh well.'

He then grinned at Lycanroc who smiled wide and applauded him, shouting, "Yeah! That was awesome!" Litwick looking as neutral as she usually did. She preferred not to applaud anyone, not even her own leader.

"And in the blue corner," Yukiko exclaimed, "is a very skilled seal who has so far been the only member of the team not to lose a single match! Of course, he's also only been in one, but that's hardly an issue! With a very interesting and unique fighting style, Popplio!"

The crowd watched with intrigue when the seal wheeled a large circus ball into the area. He spread out his arms and used his tail to keep it moving, staying perfectly balanced despite having no feet. And once he was close to the ring, he leapt off of the ball and performed a forward flip, landing perfectly on his tail with a big smile and bowing to the cheering crowd.

Lycanroc resisted the urge to join them while Eevee and Caterpie gave him a round of applause, the fox squealing, "That was awesome!" before uttering, "Wait, where did he get the ball?"

But while the red wolf seemed afraid to show how much she liked the entrance, Lugarugan surprisingly gave the seal a few claps of his own before saying, "Wow, I didn't think you were an actual performer. I thought you just looked like one."

Popplio shrugged his shoulders and replied, "Well, I was raised in a circus," the two fighters staring at one-another before sporting more serious looks and moving to separate sides of the ring.

This was it. Once Yukiko rang the bell, the match would begin. But could Popplio really pull this off or was this the day he would meet his match?


	12. Chapter 12

Popplio felt more than ready for his match with Lugarugan. After Eevee defeated Noivern despite coming so close to defeat, there was no way the seal could lose. He could not afford to, after all.

Lugarugan, on the other hand, was imagining popping the seal's nose like a pimple and painting the mat with the blood that would spew from it. He was unsure of whether or not he really could pull that off, but either way, Popplio had insulted him earlier and he wanted vengeance.

"Well, folks, the combatants are set," Yukiko stated, "And so, without further ado, let us begin!"

The bell was rung as Lugarugan wasted no time racing toward Popplio at rapid speed. Before the seal could even find the right moment to counter, he received a hard knee kick to the cheek, his eyes wide and his teeth gritted.

Things only got worse when the brown wolf sent a few rapid punches into his face. After he felt like he had done enough, he sent his claws downward and scratched Popplio's forehead while the crowd gasped.

"Thanks to his amazing speed, Lugarugan has gotten an incredible early lead," Yukiko stated, "Popplio, who before seemed like a master strategist, has already taken in an onslaught."

Popplio groaned and backed away from Lugarugan while rubbing his forehead and thinking, 'Damn, I didn't have time to react like when I fought Chespin. I'll need to be more careful, that's for sure."

The wolf grinned wickedly and tauntingly exclaimed, "How's that for a coward, eh!? Bet you didn't see that coming! You'll be easy prey for me!"

Lycanroc smiled and thought, 'Good, this will end soon. That means I won't have to watch too much bloodshed,' as Eevee squeaked, "Popplio, are you alright!?"

The seal gave her a reassuring smile and nodded before thinking, 'Now that I know how quick he is, I now see a much better strategy I can use. Hopefully he won't have a countermeasure for this.'

Since Lugarugan was full of confidence and spirit, he immediately raced toward the seal again. But as it so happened, Popplio had just the right counter in mind as he leapt forward with his flippers spread out, shouting, "SEAL WATERSLIDE!"

"Wait, what?" the Lugarugan uttered while Popplio slid along the mat. And once he was close enough, his flippers rammed into the brown wolf's ankles and thus he was sent flying into the air while flipping vertically.

Seeing a golden opportunity, Popplio smirked and leapt up to his level. And once high enough, he leaned backward and wrapped his flippers around Lugarugan's sides, ramming the back of his head hard into the canvas.

The crowd went wild as Yukiko exclaimed, "And with a new circus-based technique, Popplio has managed to turn Lugarugan's speed against him! Let's see if this can last!"

Eevee squealed happily and clapped while Caterpie thought, 'Wow, these guys are so amazing. My life couldn't be in better hands, could it?'

However, Popplio knew better than to assume he had won and thus he released his hold on Lugarugan and leapt away from him. He had a serious look in his eyes while the brown wolf placed his paws firmly against the mat and used them to propel himself upright. And while rubbing his head, he turned and glared at Popplio with his teeth gritted.

"Don't get cocky," he growled before getting down on all fours, "Mark my words. That'll be the last time you hit me in this entire match," sprinting toward the seal and barking, "ACCELEROCK!"

Popplio knew better than to wait this time as he leapt to the side. However, Lugarugan was running way too quickly and thus the side of his head not only made contact with his tail, but when the brown wolf came to a halt, he unleashed a small shock wave that caused the seal to lose his balance and fall on his back.

The crowd gasped as Lugarugan smirked and leapt sideways toward his downed opponent with his leg raised. But just as he was about to land a hard kick, Popplio gasped and threw his tail upward, blocking the incoming strike at just the right moment.

Unfortunately, this did not give the seal the advantage back like everyone figured it would, and this was made clear as the claws on Lugarugan's foot had been pointed downward. Thus they were currently digging into Popplio's tail while Eevee stared in concern, Lugarugan smirking wickedly.

But as luck had it, the seal refused to let this get to him as he smirked and said tauntingly, "Unfortunately for you, this is not skin. It's blubber, and that's much stronger than mere flesh."

As such, he did his best to ignore the pain and threw his tail upward again. Thus Lugarugan was unable to react as he was sent flying slightly into the air. This left him wide open when Popplio leapt up toward him while tucked into a ball just like when he fought Doduo on Hero Planet.

"BOUNCING BALL STRIKE!" the seal barked, the crowd cheering. But those cheers soon died as Lugarugan turned his body around just in time to cross his arms and block the incoming strike from the seal's tail.

Popplio's eyes and mouth were wide with terror as Lugarugan smirked, flipping his paws around and closing them inward. Thus he took hold of the seal's tail and pierced his claws through them, saying, "I'm starting to think this blubber of yours isn't all that great."

'Non,' the seal thought as Lugarugan lifted him up and swung him downward, planting his back into the canvas. Fear filled the crowd while Lycanroc exclaimed, "Yeah! You go, Pookie! Show him who's boss!"

Litwick had her usual cute smile as she said, "That seal doesn't stand a chance," Eevee growling, "No, this isn't right. Popplio's doing everything right. Why isn't any of it working?"

As Lugarugan released his hold on Popplio, he smirked and said, "I have to admit, after seeing how surprisingly awesome your partner is, I was expecting a much bigger challenge from you. However, you're nothing but talk. You say all this big stuff, but you can't back any of it up, can you?"

Before Popplio could try to get back up, Lugarugan planted a foot into his gut and grunted, "Can't let you do that," before lifting up the other foot and doing the same with it. He then planted the claws on both into the spot he had hit before leaping into the air and shouting, "FULL MOON FLIP!" flipping himself and Popplio until the seal's skull was facing the canvas.

Caterpie winced as Popplio made contact, coughing up blood, his eyes wide with shock. It was just as Lugarugan said. Despite his best efforts, he had only managed to land one hit throughout the entire match. Did he even stand a small chance at this point?

"While Popplio had plenty of spirit before, it seems to have been crushed," Yukiko stated, "Despite his best efforts to outsmart Lugarugan, only one of his tactics has worked so far. This could very well be a one-sided match, folks."

As Lugarugan removed his claws and allowed the seal to collapse, Eevee gritted her teeth and slapped her paws against the guardrail in front of her, barking, "WHAT THE HELL IS THIS, POPPLIO!?"

The seal slowly turned to face her as she snapped, "I refuse to accept this! You're the one who taught me how to fight like a real hero! It's thanks to you I managed to come up with a strategy to defeat Noivern! I just can't believe the same one who helped me out could be this easily beaten!"

Many stared silently at her while she continued, "I know you can beat him, Popplio! Just stop being his punching bag and get back up! I know you're so much better than this!"

With that in mind, many other members of the crowd started to chant Popplio's name as Lugarugan let out a maniacal laugh, shouting, "Oh my god, you people are hilarious! Do you seriously think a pretty speech and a few chants are going to-?"

However, his speech was cut short when he looked down and noticed Popplio slowly push himself back up with a smirk on his face. He then rubbed his head a little bit and asked, "Going to what? You shouldn't just pause in the middle of a sentence."

Lugarugan's eyes widened as he gritted his teeth while grumbling, "You cheeky little-" before performing a series of back flips away from the seal. He then went down on all fours and barked, "ACCELEROCK!" as he bolted forward just like before.

Thankfully, Popplio was prepared this time as he leapt backward toward the ropes and stretched them back. He then bounced off and tucked himself into a ball while he rolled along the mat and exclaimed, "CIRCUS BALL!"

But while it looked like Lugarugan could still overpower the seal, he increased his speed and rammed hard into the brown wolf's snout. Lugarugan howled in pain as a small bit of blood came from his nose and thus he was sent careening into the ropes. And when he bounced off of them, Popplio retracted from his ball-like state and slapped the brown wolf hard in the face with his tail, the crowd going wild.

Litwick seemed intrigued, a look of terror on Lycanroc's face as Lugarugan was now on his back with his arms and legs spread out. But Popplio knew better than to try and take advantage of this as he backed up with a smirk on his face and sure enough, the brown wolf rose to his feet with a cold look.

"That's the Popplio I know!" Eevee squealed, but was shocked when Lugarugan's look of anger turned into a confident grin.

Everyone soon saw what he meant as Popplio had dropped his smirk almost immediately after he sported it. Now he was breathing pretty heavily as he thought, 'Non, this can't be right. Why do I feel so weak?'

"Wow, I have to say, I would love to commend you for that display back there," Lugarugan said in a boastful tone, "I mean, you managed to overpower my Accelerock. It's just too bad that the only way you could pull it off was by straining yourself."

"What?" Caterpie uttered as Popplio thought, 'Merde! He's right. I had to double my speed to pull that off, but that required a great deal of energy. I've built up a lot of that from my years in the circus, but not even I can handle that much speed.'

"That's not true, is it?" Eevee uttered with a look of terror in her eyes, "You can keep going, right?" as the seal took a deep breath and shook his head, grunting, "Of course I can, mon ami! Lugarugan should have taken advantage of my state when he had the chance!"

"It's like I said earlier," Lugarugan retorted with a smirk, "You talk tough when really, you're just full of shit."

With that in mind, he sprinted toward Popplio, only he deliberately lowered his own speed in order to mock the seal. Popplio frowned and swiped his tail toward the incoming opponent, but he found himself unable to move it fast enough as Lugarugan leapt over it and planted both of his feet into his forehead.

"And it would seem Lugarugan might very well be right, folks," Yukiko stated, "Even though he was clearly moving slower, Popplio still misses him and takes a hard blow to the head."

'Non, he can't be right!' the seal grunted as he attempted to grab Lugarugan's ankles. Unfortunately, this was easy for him to dodge as he stepped to the side and sent a roundhouse into the seal's ribcage.

"I have to admit, your persistence is pretty admirable, I guess," the brown wolf said tauntingly with his arms folded, "but this is just sad. Because I know how much my Honey Pumpkin would rather not have me hurt you too badly, I'll give you the option to give up right now. Of course, that still counts as you losing, but hey, your bones will still be intact, right?"

Even Eevee was starting to wonder if Popplio should continue. It was clear that he could not win this no matter how hard he tried. He may have done some damage, but not enough.

Even so, the seal took a few breaths before growling, "That's very kind, especially coming from you, but I am a hero. I graduated from Hero Planet to protect the innocent. As such, no matter what challenge is thrown at moi, I will fight to the bitter end. So do your worst! I'm ready!"

Lugarugan stared silently as a wide grin slowly formed on his face. And while Caterpie and Eevee were both terrified of this look, Lycanroc surprisingly showed more fear. After all, as much as she wanted Lugarugan to win, she did not wish for him to go too far.

Even so, she could not be upset as this was exactly what Popplio had asked for. As such, Lugarugan flipped sideways toward the ropes, planting his waist against them and stretching them back.

"Remember, you asked for this," the brown wolf stated as he launched himself off of the material, spinning his body with his arms and legs pointed outward.

The crowd gasped as Eevee cried out, "POPPLIO, FIGHT BACK!" only for the seal to close his eyes and think, 'I could try, but I've expelled too much energy. But after your match with Noivern, I have no doubt that you can handle the rest easily.'

With that, Lugarugan flew into him and covered him in various scratches while barking, "WOLF BARREL!" the seal crying out in agonizing pain as his eyes rolled to the back of his head.

When Popplio fell on his back with his head tilted sideways, Eevee and Caterpie cried, "NO!" as Yukiko took a deep breath and stated, "And after taking in a lot of punishment, Popplio has met his limit. Therefor, Lugarugan is our winner," the woman ringing the bell.

Lycanroc took a deep breath and thought, 'At least it's finally over,' Lugarugan throwing his arms in the air and exclaiming, "OH YEAH! GIVE IT UP FOR YOUR FUTURE LEADER, TOKYO!" the crowd terrified out of their minds.

Eevee could not sit down any longer as she stood up and bolted toward the ring, Lugarugan leaping out of it and giving her a maniacal grin. She briefly turned to him with fear as he made a neck slitting motion with his finger, returning to his seat in the bleachers to take a good rest.

"Man, that was fun, but it sure took a lot out of me," the brown wolf sighed as he leaned backward and asked, "Hey, Honey Pumpkin, can you give me a good scratch behind the ears?"

Lycanroc smiled and replied, "Sure, Pookie," before doing as told, Caterpie staring and narrowing his eyelids. Their relationship made no sense to him.

The fox came to Popplio's side and knelt down, whimpering, "Come on, tell me you're okay. I'm not sure if I can take the rest of these guys by myself."

Unfortunately, the seal really was out cold now as medics rushed into the area and set him up on a stretcher. Eevee watched in terror while he was taken out of the area to an ambulance, holding her arm out with tears in her eyes.

"Wow," Lugarugan scoffed, "Where's all that confidence you had earlier? Seems now that your friend can't help you, you're hopeless," as she turned and shot him a glare, growling, "No, I can beat all three of you! Whichever one of you challenges me, I'll beat you easily!"

"Whoa, someone's got attitude," Lugarugan quipped with a grin, Litwick rising up from her seat and casually saying, "I'll do it."

The fox blinked as the candle stated cutely, "I'll be your opponent for the next match, but I'd much rather face you at full strength. So I'll give you as long as you need to recover, alright?"

"Wait, what!?" Lugarugan retorted, the candle remarking, "I prefer to earn my victories," as the brown wolf nodded and shrugged his shoulders.

But just as Eevee was about to agree to the terms, a familiar high-pitched voice with a Spanish accent entered the area and exclaimed, "How about I take you on right now instead!?"

Everyone looked around as Yukiko asked, "What was that?" Eevee's eyes wide with shock before she squeaked, "I know that voice!"

At that moment, a certain chipmunk with a grass hood stepped out from behind a tree and said, "I figured you might need my help."

The area went silent until Eevee blinked and asked, "Wait, you're here to help?" as Chespin nodded and sighed, "I owe Popplio my life. He made me realize that the path I had chosen to walk down would ultimately lead me nowhere. So if you'll allow me, I'd like to help you deal with these guys."

"HEY, WAIT A MINUTE!" Lugarugan barked, "That's cheating!" only for Litwick to smile and say, "Oh, another hero. This should be fun," the brown wolf groaning, "Haven't we agreed to enough of their terms!?"

Eevee, meanwhile, stared blankly at Chespin, not sure what to think. On one hand, she had heard of many famous heroes who started out as villains. But even so, how could she trust someone who treated her best friend so horribly?

She then thought about how Popplio would react to this situation. If anything, the seal would have been more than happy to give the chipmunk a second chance. And so with that in mind, the fox took a deep breath and smiled before extending her paw, saying, "Give her Hell, alright?"

Chespin gave the fox a warm smile and shook the paw, replying, "Don't worry, I will," as Yukiko stated, "And in a shocking turn of events, Chespin has come all the way back here to assist Eevee in her time of need! Though I'm surprised they let him out of prison so early."

"Oh, they didn't," Chespin replied with a nervous laugh, "This is actually community service for me. Look," pointing at the tree he had been hiding behind before as a Hero Planet authority stepped out and growled, "Remember, kid, one false move and you're going back, got it!?"

Eevee stared silently and slowly nodded her head while Caterpie panicked, gasping, "OH MY GOD, YOU'RE A CRIMINAL!?" as Chespin sighed, "Who's this?"

"That's our new friend, Caterpie," Eevee said, "He's weird but he's nice," as Chespin shrugged and uttered, "If you say so."

With all said and done, Litwick melted a bit of her wax to create tiny feet for herself. As such, she rose up from her seat and headed toward a secluded area to prepare herself, saying, "I look forward to our match, convict."

Chespin folded his arms and grunted, "You'll be eating those words soon enough," before walking toward a secluded area himself.

Eevee gave him a supportive smile and took a seat, feeling beyond grateful. As great as it felt to finally earn a victory, she still had a long way to go before she could take on this many villains by herself. And while a part of her was considering keeping a close eye on Chespin to make sure he did nothing wrong, considering he had an authority there to watch him, she felt he could be trusted after all.

While he prepared for the match, Chespin frowned and thought, 'Alright, Popplio, just you wait. I'll make sure all your hard work isn't in vain. First I'll defeat this candle person and then I'll kick that wolf leader's ass. It's the least I can do.'

After ten minutes, Yukiko got a signal as she nodded and exclaimed, "Alright, folks, it's now time for a surprise third match for the day! Eevee seems to have been given a break for a now, but can this ex-villain help our heroes or is he only delaying the inevitable?"

"It's so obviously the latter," Lugarugan sighed, "I don't know why she has to ask these questions when the answer's obvious!" as Lycanroc shrugged and replied, "She's an announcer. It's her job."

The woman then pointed to the left and added, "In the red corner is the one who once worked for the side of evil but promises to fight for our freedom! He gave Popplio quite a tough time when they fought a few days ago, so we know his skills are not to be taken lightly! Even though you once booed him, now you can give a round of applause for Chespin!"

The crowd cheered wildly as the chipmunk entered the area with a cape over his face. After a few seconds, he threw it outward with a dramatic look and leapt into the ring with his arms spread out. Needless to say, this only rose the crowd's excitement.

'Rest easy, Popplio,' Chespin thought with his eyes narrowed, 'By the time I'm through, they'll wish they never came to Tokyo.'

Once that was out of the way, Yukiko pointed to the right and stated, "And in the blue corner is a cute yet deadly opponent. We've already seen a sample of what she can do," as she directed everyone's attention to Caterpie.

The caterpillar's eyes widened as he let out a sigh and prayed this would not last long while the woman added, "Representing the villains, Litwick!"

The crowd as uncertain how to react when suddenly, a row of candles lit up and created a path toward the ring. And soon enough, Litwick emerged from behind a bush and made her way down the path with the same unsettling smile she almost always had. As she approached the ring, she made her flame bigger thus melting her wax and allowing her to stretch her body upward in an arch. And once her head was over the ring, she reeled in the rest of her body until she was back to her normal size, the crowd even more intimidated by her.

However, even Chespin had to admit that he was a little scared. He had not even taken into consideration the possibility that she could manipulate her height, and one could only guess how limited such a power was. But even so, he struck a fighting pose and thought, 'Alright, bring it!'


	13. Chapter 13

This was it. Chespin was going to redeem himself and help out Eevee no matter what. But even so, despite being the shortest member of Lugarugan's group, Litwick could not be taken lightly.

"Show that rodent that size isn't everything!" Lugarugan exclaimed as Lycanroc smiled and added, "Yeah, shorties rule, but only when they're on our team, right?"

The brown wolf nodded and replied, "That's right, Honey Pumpkin," as Caterpie could detect a great deal of insincerity in the red wolf's tone. She was clearly kissing up to Lugarugan, but why did she like him when he stood for just about everything that made her uncomfortable?

Whatever the case, this hardly seemed to matter as Yukiko rang the bell. Thus Chespin held his ground and thought, 'Alright, rash thinking is what allowed Popplio to get the drop on me before. I'm gonna fight more logically and wait for her to make the first move. Surely she's nowhere near as fast as Lugarugan.'

And while this was true, it seemed as if the chipmunk would be in for a nasty surprised when Litwick's flame expanded. As a result, her wax started to melt as she sprouted long fingers on the ends of her arms, stretching them out toward Chespin and shouting, "WAX HANDS!"

The chipmunk tried his hardest to evade them. Unfortunately, after leaping over the first one, he left himself vulnerable for the second hand as it encased his body.

"As you can see, I can do a lot with my waxy body," Litwick stated with a slightly creepier smile, "You made a mistake letting me make the first move, not that a direct attack would have made much of a difference."

But just as it looked like the chipmunk had already been defeated, a smirk formed on his face while he retorted, "And you made a mistake by using such an easy move to escape from!"

"Wait, what?" Lugarugan uttered as Eevee smiled wide, squealing, "I know what he's gonna do!"

Litwick was certainly intrigued when Chespin's bristles started to extend in length. They then arched downward before piercing the fingers holding onto him, causing them to crack and eventually burst open. And of course, the chipmunk would not let this opportunity go as he planted the bristles into the candle's arm, using them to propel himself toward her and send a kick into her forehead.

The crowd cheered as Litwick let out a light gasp and fell on her back. Chespin then leapt at her with his arms raised above his head and cupped together and spat, "WOOD HAMMER!"

But just as he was about to send them crashing down upon Litwick's face, she expanded her flame and formed a thick square of wax using the part between her eyes and mouth. She then exclaimed, "WAX SHIELD!" as Chespin's arms made contact with that instead, his eyes going wide when spikes suddenly formed on the square.

As a result, the chipmunk's hands were bleeding now as he cried out in pain. But when he backed away from the candle, things only got worse when she formed a big sphere on the end of her right arm. She then swung it hard into Chespin's side and shouted, "WAX WRECKING BALL!" thus causing him to cough up blood as he tumbled sideways along the canvas.

The crowd gasped while Eevee squeaked, "CHESPIN!"

Caterpie trembled while Lugarugan laughed, "You know, I was opposed to this before, but this is fun! That thing with the spikes was unexpected, but against someone like Litwick, that's nothing!"

"Just as it seemed like Chespin had found a way around Litwick's wax, she has managed to catch him off guard with more unexpected tricks," Yukiko said, "Let's see if Chespin can bypass her abilities again."

Chespin slowly rose to his feet and breathed heavily, thinking, 'It's just as I thought. She's a lot tougher than she looks, but I didn't think she could do that much with her wax. And it's all because of that flame on her head.'

His eyes widened and his mind added, 'That's it!' as he raced toward the candle, Yukiko saying, "After fighting carefully failed, Chespin is now on the offensive."

Litwick once again used her flame to melt her wax once more, sending her arms toward him like whips and shouting, "WAXY TORMENT!"

However, Chespin saw this coming and said, "Too easy," leaping over the wax. And before Litwick could respond with something else, the chipmunk closed in on her head and clapped his hands together over her flame, causing it to go out as all that remained was a small trail of smoke.

The crowd cheered while Yukiko exclaimed, "And Chespin brilliantly risks having his hands burned to put out the flame that made Litwick's attacks possible!" Eevee and Caterpie cheering for him.

However, everyone's positive attitude left when they noticed a grin on Lugarugan's face. He then laughed and sighed, "You morons are so naive."

It was soon made clear what he meant when suddenly, the flame returned as Chespin bit his lower lip. His entire body trembled until he released the wick, crying out in pain and blowing on his hands. But while he was distracted, Litwick once again melted her wax and combined both of her arms together to form a hammer over her head.

"Oh no," Chespin groaned as he looked up, Litwick shouting, "WAX HAMMER!" sending it crashing down upon his skull and crushing him underneath.

The crowd gasped when Litwick removed the hammerhead to show the chipmunk down on his back, his body twitching while his tongue was sticking out. Needless to say, this was not a good sign as Yukiko asked, "Could it be that this attack has already managed to knock him out for good?"

Lugarugan and Lycanroc applauded Litwick while she gazed upon the chipmunk and said, "That was very rash of you. You could have just asked whether or not the flame could be doused, but you had to go and find out the hard way. Oh well, your loss."

Eevee stared in horror and whimpered, "Oh my god. Can we even beat the others? Maybe Noivern was actually the weakest in the group."

However, Litwick continued to feel more intrigued when despite all of the pain he had taken in up to this point, Chespin planted his hands firmly against the mat and pushed himself up. He breathed heavily and popped a few joints back into place while the crowd stared silently.

"Don't count me out just yet," the chipmunk grunted, "Compared to Popplio, you are nothing."

While Lugarugan could not believe what he had seen and heard, Litwick did not seem the least bit fazed. She could tell from Chespin's expression that he was lying. No matter how many times he got back up, there was no doubt she would be able to knock him down again and again until he could no longer fight back.

With that in mind, she expanded her flame again and shot her upper body forward with her flame pointed directly at the chipmunk's gut. Unfortunately for her, Chespin was ready for this as he leapt over her with his hands once again raised over his head.

Eevee and Caterpie were both relieved only for Litwick to redirect her upper body toward the chipmunk's direction. As it so happened, she knew he would do this. But there was no way Chespin would allow himself to be hit again as he sent his arms crashing down in her skull, barking, "WOOD HAMMER!"

But while the attack managed to land, Litwick completely ignored the pain and continued to rise up, shouting, "WAXY ARCH!" flipping her body one hundred and eighty degrees and planting Chespin's back into the canvas.

As if the pain dealt by her attack was not bad enough, Popplio had burned his hands again when he struck her skull. And it only got worse as now that same flame was pressed up against his belly while Litwick shifted her head back and forth against that very spot and shouted, "CANDLE ASHTRAY!"

"YEAH, BURN, BABY, BURN!" Lugarugan exclaimed with a big smile on his face, "I know I said this already, but I can't believe I just about stopped her from doing this! This is so much fun!"

The crowd watched in horror as Chespin cried out in pain. However, there was no way he would allow himself to lose, not after recovering from the beating he took in before. As such, he extended his bristles and moved them inward, piercing the sides of Litwick's head.

For the first time in the entire match, the candle looked scared and even shocked. Chespin had not only ignored the pain from her fire but had even managed to put holes in her, and since she was not a normal candle, this drew black blood from her.

As such, she immediately returned her height to normal in a vein attempt to distance her head from the chipmunk. However, since his bristles were still lodged in her wax, she wound up pulling him with her as she swung her head backward just hard enough to shake him off. As such, he flew toward the turnbuckle and held his arms out to stop himself from making contact.

The crowd cheered as Yukiko exclaimed, "And after dealing with nothing but torment throughout the match, Chespin has finally found a way to frighten Litwick!" Eevee squealing, "YEAH, KEEP IT UP!"

Chespin smiled sweetly at her while Lugarugan's eye twitched. Thus he pointed at the candle and snapped, "That better not be true, Litwick! You're made of wax, not flesh! The next time he tries that shit on you, you'll just smile and bare it, right!?"

"It's grin and-" Lycanroc corrected only for the brown wolf to give her a cold look. Thus she nodded slowly and bit her lower lip, stopping herself from saying more.

Even so, Litwick seemed to get the message as she replaced her look of fear with her usual smile. She then gazed upon Chespin and said, "I'm impressed that you managed to catch me off guard like that, but you'll never win no matter how hard you try. I knew that from the exact second I accepted your challenge."

However, Chespin was not the least bit intimidated as he looked at the holes he had formed on her. Now that he knew he could make her bleed, there was no doubt in his mind he could knock her out with the right technique.

With that in mind, he leapt off of the turnbuckle and aimed a kick toward Litwick's face. Now her confidence had returned completely as she formed spearheads on her arms, shouting, "WAX SPEAR!"

But when the arms headed toward the chipmunk, he once again extended his bristles and planted two of them against the spearheads. He then used them as leverage to launch himself over her arms and speed up his flight.

Seeing this, the candle tried to maintain her usual smile and shouted, "WAX SHIELD!" once again forming a square in front of her face. But unfortunately for her, Chespin knew exactly how to get around it this time as he planted his bristles into the shape, using them to flip himself behind her.

The crowd went wild while he rested his arms under Litwick's shoulders, this time piercing her body with his bristles and forming more small holes. Lugarugan and Lycanroc both stared in shock as Eevee nodded and said, "Go for it."

As such, the chipmunk leapt into the air and leaned backward, shouting, "NEEDLE SUPLEX!" planting Litwick's skull hard into the canvas.

This time, she could no longer maintain her normal smile as her eyes were even wider and her mouth hung open. This was the first time in her life that she felt scared of an opponent and she hated it.

With that in mind, her eyes suddenly became the same colour as her flame as she uttered in a more neutral tone, "You shouldn't have done that," and sprouted spikes from her back. This gave Chespin more than enough incentive to distance himself from her thus allowing her to flip herself upright.

The crowd stared as even Lugarugan felt a touch intimidated. He had never seen this side of Litwick before, and it would only get worse when she quadrupled the size of her flame and used the melted wax to make herself much taller. She then grew her arms and shifted them upward in an arch formation, molding the ends into candle shapes with wicks on top. She also sprouted four long legs as she held her new candle-like hands up to her flame, lighting the wicks on fire and shouting, "DEMON CANDELABRA!"

Chespin's jaw dropped as he trembled all over. While Litwick had been horrifying before, despite her cute face, now she looked even more frightening. And it would only get worse as her mouth expanded in length, Lycanroc whimpering, "This is only temporary, right?"

"Yeah, pretty sure it is, Honey Pumpkin," Lugarugan replied as Eevee was more worried that Chespin might not get the upper hand back. Caterpie, meanwhile, tilted his head to the side and uttered, "Where did those wicks on her arms come from? She didn't have those in there before, did she?"

"In a shocking turn of events, Litwick seems to have made herself even more threatening," Yukiko stated, "And considering how intimidating she was before, that's saying a lot."

Chespin seemed to snap out of his scared state when Litwick stated in her same high pitched voice, "You may have covered me in holes, but that's nothing compared to what I'll do to you," sending her right candle downward.

Chespin leapt back just in time to avoid being crushed. Unfortunately, this hardly mattered as the flame on top of it managed to graze his left leg, the chipmunk falling on his back and rocking back and forth while holding onto it. He cried out in pain while Eevee squeaked, "CHESPIN, LOOK OUT!"

Unfortunately, it was too late as Litwick sent her left candle toward him, hitting him hard in his midsection and causing him to cough up blood. And to make matters worse, that candle's flame made contact with his face thus causing that to burn as well as he let out a loud cry.

The crowd watched with concern when Litwick spread out her arms and rammed both candles into Chespin's sides. She then lifted him high above her head, his back positioned right over her flame as she exclaimed, "CANDLELIGHT BONFIRE!"

"CHESPIN!" Eevee cried, Yukiko whimpering, "And despite all of his best efforts, it would seem that Litwick fully intends on burning Chespin to a crisp as he seems unable to escape. What can he possibly do now?"

"Nothing, that's what," Lugarugan retorted with his arms folded, "I'll admit, even I was scared before, but hey, as long as she's not using that on me, I don't care. Come on, Litwick, drop him into the flame!"

The candle intended on doing exactly that as she asked, "Any last words?" only for Chespin to extend his bristles and plant them into both of her candles, growling, "I REFUSE TO LET YOU DROP ME!"

Litwick smirked and sighed, "Suit yourself," before lowering the chipmunk into the flame. After all, since her body was made of wax, it was not as if the fire could burn her anyway.

The crowd stared in absolute horror, Caterpie shouting, "OH MY GOD!" while Chespin cried out in agonizing pain. But just as it seemed like he had truly lost, he once again extended his bristles and grunted, "I FINALLY FIGURED OUT HOW TO BEAT YOU! NEEDLE SLASHER!"

Lugarugan and Lycanroc's jaws dropped as the chipmunk spun around and sliced off Litwick's wick, making sure to get the bottom so it could not light back up. And sure enough, once the flame hit the canvas, it went out completely as the wick was rendered useless.

As a result, Litwick's other flames went out as well while her body shrank back to its original size. Her eyes also returned to their usual yellow colour as she she let down a purple tear. It was just as Chespin planned. Her flame was officially gone and thus she could no longer melt her wax and grow her body.

And of course, the chipmunk refused to let this opportunity go and thus descended toward her with his hands and feet cupped together, the former parts over his head. He then spun his body like a drill and shouted, "CHESTNUT CRACKER SUITE!" planting the claws on his feet into the candle's forehead, drawing one last bit of black blood.

Her back soon made contact with the canvas as she closed her eyes, Yukiko waiting for a few seconds before ringing the bell. The crowd then went wild while she exclaimed, "And with all said and done, Chespin has defeated Litwick and reduced Lugarugan's pack down to two!"

"NO WAY!" Lugarugan spat as Lycanroc was now really worried herself. After all, things had started so heavily in their favour and now they were on an even playing field.

"You see that!?" Caterpie barked with a fierce look in his eyes, "That's the might of Tokyo's heroes!" as the brown wolf was too shaken up to respond.

Chespin took a deep breath and tried his hardest to ignore the massive burns covering his body. But when he looked to the crowd and saw Eevee give him a supportive smile and a thumb up, he knew it had all been worth it and that Popplio would have been proud. He had defeated a villain for the first time in his life and it felt great.

Lugarugan's shock was soon replaced by pure fury as he rose to his feet and barked, "You think you're so tough, rodent!? If you're so amazing, I dare you to take on my Honey Pumpkin tomorrow," Lycanroc gasping, "Me!?"

The brown wolf turned to her as she laughed nervously and nodded her head, replying, "Of course, Pookie. He'll be easy pickings."

"That's what I like to hear," Lugarugan said as Chespin frowned, Caterpie barking, "Why not free me and let me take her on instead, huh!? I bet if I fought her one-on-one, I'd actually-" only to be cut off when he received a kick to the face. As such, a light tear ran down his cheek as he sniffed, "Okay, okay, I get it. I lost and this is my punishment."

Chespin took a deep breath and nodded his head while Eevee thought, 'Well, at least he decided to hold it off until tomorrow. Considering how headstrong he seems, I thought for sure he'd schedule it to start now and take advantage of Chespin's state. He must have a great deal of confidence in her.'

Even so, it seemed as if this was it for the day as Yukiko stated, "Well, folks, you heard him. The next match will take place tomorrow, so all of you may go home and rest up."

But as everyone rose from their seats, Lugarugan said, "Hold it," before walking over to the desk and asking, "May I?"

Before the woman could even respond, the brown wolf picked her up by the back of the collar and set her down next to the desk. He then took a seat and cleared his throat, stating, "Alright, let me make myself clear what I mean by tomorrow, everyone. If you wish to see that very match, I recommend getting to sleep as soon as possible because I don't mean tomorrow at noon or anything like that. I mean tomorrow morning, as in the start of tomorrow morning!"

"Wait, so you mean you want us to come back here exactly after midnight?" Eevee remarked, tensing up as Lycanroc gasped, "But, Pookie, we need our rest too!"

"Yeah, that's why we're getting an early shuteye today, got it?" the brown wolf asked as the red wolf pursed her lip and nodded. After all, he truly seemed to have made up his mind and that was when convincing him to change his plans was most difficult.

"Now go home and have yourselves a good, long rest," Lugarugan stated with a smirk, "I look forward to having you all here to witness our takeover of Tokyo first-hand. Your so-called heroes got lucky and managed to pull two victories out of their asses, but mark my words. It won't last."

With all said and done, both wolves exited the area with Noivern humped over Lugarugan's shoulders and Litwick and Caterpie tucked under Lycanroc's arms. Of course, the caterpillar struggled to free himself, but much like before, it was pointless. And Eevee could not help but watch with worry, really hoping she could save their new friend.

However, while Lugarugan was beyond excited, his girlfriend looked concerned. Not only did she doubt they would be able to get enough sleep during the day, she was uncertain whether or not Chespin could recover from all the damage he took in before facing her. For whatever reason, she hoped that he would at least be in decent fighting condition when they fought.

Even so, the chipmunk knew he would have to try his best no matter what as Eevee approached him and rested a paw on his shoulder, asking, "You alright?"

Just being touched caused that spot considerable pain as Chespin winced. Thus the fox retracted her paw and uttered, "Sorry," as the chipmunk smirked and replied, "It's okay. I'm tough."

He then flexed his tiny muscles only to hurt himself more doing that, sighing, "Why did she have to put me right in the flame?"

Eevee giggled lightly before sighing, "That was pretty amazing, though, the way you just ignored it and got rid of the wick. I'm sure if Popplio saw that, he would have been amazed."

"Well, yeah, thinking logically was what allowed him to beat me," Chespin replied with a grin, "I figured maybe the same would work for me."

He then sighed, "Though it sucks that I don't have much time before my next match. But tell me, Eevee, would you, by chance, accept me?"

"Accept you?" Eevee uttered as he added, "You know, as your new ally. After beating Litwick, I kinda wanna join you guys, you know, as your forth member."

The fox did not even have to think as she nodded and squealed, "Of course! I already know Popplio would love to have you on the team, and, well, with Mapin off for who knows how long, we could use all the help we can get."

Chespin gave the fox a warm smile as she decided to let him rest up in her house. After all, they would both need a lot of sleep as there was no doubt Eevee would have to fight shortly after him.


	14. Chapter 14

So far, the day had been full of highs and lows. Eevee had invented her first signature move and earned her first victory. Not only that, but Chespin joined the team and was now an official hero fighting for Tokyo. But on the other hand, Caterpie was still in captivity and Popplio was in the hospital. As if that was not enough, Chespin had to fight Lycanroc immediately after midnight, meaning he and Eevee would need to sleep most of the day away instead of using that time to train.

Currently, the chipmunk was at the fox's house as she took out a few frozen dinners, sighing, "Sorry, but I can't really make you anything high class. See, I'm a terrible cook."

She laughed nervously as a sweat drop formed on the side of her head. However, Chespin shrugged and replied, "Honestly, at this point, I just want a nice early dinner before my super early bed. It's a good thing I just finished a match otherwise this would be even more difficult."

Eevee nodded and sighed, "Still, it's painful to think that Caterpie is still in their clutches right now. I was really hoping that maybe after defeating two of their allies, they'd consider that good enough and just let him go."

"Take it from someone who used to serve the side of evil," Chespin remarked, "Something like that is highly unlikely."

Eevee let out a sigh and groaned, "Yeah, but you never know, right?" as she popped a dinner into the microwave. She then walked over and sat down on the couch next to the chipmunk, saying, "By the way, I notice that cop stopped following you."

"Yeah, guess he figured I could be trusted and left," Chespin replied with a shrug, "Honestly, it's kind of refreshing. I was worried it would be a lot harder for the world to accept me, but I guess it's become such a common thing, you know, villains turning to the side of good."

Eevee nodded and did not even bother to bring up how she had a bit of trouble believing he had turned good at first. After all, the last thing she wanted was to spoil the mood with more drama.

Meanwhile, Lugarugan and Lycanroc had retreated to a cave outside of town. Caterpie looked around and said, "Wow, so typical for a wolf. Why do you even need Tokyo, huh?"

"You are in no position to insult us!" Lugarugan growled as Lycanroc sighed, "Ignore him, Pookie. You need to get your rest so we can claim Tokyo after midnight, remember?"

She then scratched him behind the ears as he let out a heavenly sigh and said, "Yeah, you're right. That pathetic worm's not worth any more of my time and energy. Besides, I just know you'll make that rodent suffer."

"Yes, of course," Lycanroc replied while Lugarugan slowly drifted off to sleep, his tongue sticking out the side of his mouth and his head tilted sideways.

Caterpie stared at this and enquired, "I don't get you, Lycanroc! How can you stand being that guy's girlfriend!? I mean, he pretty much forced you into this fight and yet you just accepted it even though I could tell you didn't want to! Don't you see he's treating you like a tool!?"

"No, he's just treating me like any other member of the pack," Lycanroc replied with a shrug, "After all, he's right. If I'm going to help achieve our dreams, I have to pull my weight every now and then, right?"

Caterpie narrowed his eyelids and sighed, "Look, you said earlier that there was a reason you guys were doing this. Well, I don't really have a lot of options, so if you'd like to talk about it, I'll listen. After all, I'm the son of the chairman. I have to be a good listener."

He then smiled with pride as the red wolf bit her lower lip. For some strange reason, she felt as if she could trust him, like there was no problem sharing their reason for fighting with him. And while Lugarugan would have forbade her from sharing such information with the enemy, he was currently out like a light, so it was not as if he could stop her.

As such, Lycanroc took a deep breath and explained, "Look, Caterpie, Lugarugan isn't the bad guy you think he is. He's doing this not for himself but for all of us. You see, we grew up in a city that didn't seem to accept us."

"What!?" the caterpillar remarked, "But I thought beings like us were common place now," as Lycanroc sighed, "Well, I guess we were unlucky because while we were allowed to live among the humans, we were treated like a minority group, you know."

Caterpie tilted his head to the side while the red wolf added, "You see, we weren't exactly treated equally. Humans would often ask us to do things for them, but they never wanted to be our friends nor did they ever do things to help us out. We always had to look out for each other."

The caterpillar started to understand now as he nodded, Lycanroc continuing, "I think the point where Pookie realized it was pointless to try and get along with them was when he tried to run for school president. Despite having a lot of great ideas, no one voted for him, and all because he was born a wolf. There was no other reason for it."

Caterpie could not help but wonder if that really was the only reason seeing as Lugarugan hardly seemed stable, but even so, he did not wish to interrupt as Lycanroc continued, "And it wasn't just him. See, I opened up this great art club and advertized it very well. I knew how much everyone wanted it, but they didn't join all because they'd rather have not been associated with someone of my species."

"That's awful," Caterpie uttered, "You put your heart and soul into something that would have made them so happy and they just blew you off," Lycanroc replying, "Right? And later, Litwick and Noivern moved in from their hometowns and while we easily made friends with them right away, no one else wanted to be with them. So Pookie ultimately decided that we should move out and find a new home."

Caterpie nodded and replied, "Okay, I understand your reason for moving away, and I think it's great that you consider Tokyo a good home, but why try to take over?" Lycanroc sighing, "Because, well, while I'm not so sure of it myself, Pookie figures that these people will treat us the same way as everyone else did. I mean, we had other species going to school with us and they were treated fine, so it only stands to reason that our kind isn't accepted just because we were born looking scary. I mean, look at my eyes. That's not a normal colour, and these freakishly large paws."

She held up those very parts with tears in her eyes and sniffed, "No one could ever accept creatures like us!"

Caterpie stared briefly and sighed, "Look, even if that was true, do you honestly think enslaving Tokyo's citizens will make you better than them?" as Lycanroc sighed, "No, but Pookie believes it will, and I trust him with my life. I know he seems psychotic, but deep down, he's a sweet guy."

The caterpillar could tell there was no point in arguing further when he saw how certain Lycanroc looked. As such, he nodded and said, "Well, regardless, I'm still going to support the others when they fight you tomorrow. I hope you understand."

Lycanroc smiled and replied, "But of course. I mean, you are good friends," but just as she was about to get some sleep herself, Caterpie smiled at her and said, "By the way, if it means anything, I actually think you look pretty hot."

He then closed his eyes to get in some shuteye himself, seeing as he had nothing else to do. But when he did so, Lycanroc turned to him while her cheeks flushed pink. She could not believe what she had just heard. Did he actually mean that?

She then shook her head and thought, 'He's just trying to lower my guard,' a cross look on her face, 'I can't believe I almost fell for that! Don't worry, Pookie, I'll make sure Chespin pays for what he did to Litwick!'

With that in mind, she closed her eyes and did her best to sleep. She would have to be ready not just for Lugarugan but for the entire group. After all, she wanted Noivern and Litwick to wake up to a world that would accept them, even if they had to force the citizens to do so.

The rest of the day seemed to fly by as many woke up at ten to come to the event. Eevee and Chespin were on their way as the fox yawned and sighed, "I still feel a little groggy. Did you have as much trouble sleeping as I did?"

"Yeah," Chespin groaned, "God damn that Lugarugan. I just hope I can focus during my match. I kept waking up multiple times. Now I envy anyone who actually enjoys working midnights."

"Well, we still got a couple of hours left," Eevee replied, "Maybe you could get in a little extra before your match," the chipmunk shaking his head and growling, "No. I wanna get in as much training as possible. I'm willing to bet that's probably part of Lugarugan's plan, that he specifically chose this time knowing I'd have no time to train."

"But that would also leave him and Lycanroc with no time to train," Eevee uttered as Chespin blinked and scratched his chin. He had to admit that she had a point.

Whatever the case, the duo soon arrived at the forest where the wolves and Caterpie were waiting. Litwick and Noivern were still resting by the sidelines as Lugarugan knew they would be arrested if he allowed any human to try and take care of them. Only if he and Lycanroc won their matches would that not be the case.

Yukiko sat behind the desk and yawned before taking a sip of coffee and saying, "Alright, folks, we only have a little less than two hours before the next match for Tokyo's freedom can begin. If anyone wants to take a nap, now's the time to do it," before planting her face into the desk and snoring.

However, all of the night owls in the crowd shrugged as one said, "Well, on the upside, I'm finally able to see one of these in person," another adding, "Yeah, watching them online just isn't the same."

"What a bunch of babies," Lugarugan sighed with a smirk, "I feel great," as Lycanroc nodded and said, "Me too. I guess it helps that canines can get to sleep pretty easily, eh?"

Caterpie did not seem to care about any of this at all. He was mostly concerned about Lycanroc. He knew it was too late to try and change her mind, but deep down, he really hoped she would realize how wrong her actions were and call off her match with Chespin.

Once Eevee took a seat in the bleachers, Lugarugan smirked at her and said, "Glad to see you two could make it. I'm looking forward to seeing my Honey Pumpkin wipe the floor with that rodent's face," as Lycanroc frowned and thought, 'That's right. This is for the best.'

"Keep dreaming, because we're gonna kick both your asses," the fox retorted only for Lugarugan to laugh and sigh, "That's cute. You honestly think just because you pulled off one miracle, that means you can keep dishing them out."

Eevee stuck out her tongue and folded her arms, thinking, 'It's not just me. Chespin pulled off a miracle yesterday as well. I have no doubt he can win.'

And so for the next hour and a half, Chespin trained himself hard. Thankfully, all of the exercise helped him forget how tired he initially was. Now his heart was pumping fast and his adrenalin was high. He truly believed the same thing Eevee did. After all, if he could survive being engulfed in flames despite being born with grass attributes, he could defeat a wolf.

Meanwhile, Lycanroc trained harder than she ever imagined she would, using nearby trees as practice dummies. After all, she still believed Caterpie had been insincere when talking to her earlier and that only made her want to help Lugarugan more. Besides, after the torment her friends had sustained, let alone the permanent loss of Litwick's flame, even she wanted vengeance.

Once the wait was over and most of the audience along with Yukiko had gotten a good nap, the announcer yawned and took another sip of coffee, groaning, "Oh, right, it's been sitting out for over an hour. Of course it's cold."

She then shrugged and stated, "Alright, ladies and gentlemen, it's finally time for the first match of the new day! Earlier, we had a string of very intense fights with varying results, but so far, the heroes of Tokyo seem to be standing strong! We lost one but gained another while two villains have been defeated! Let's see if Chespin and Eevee can keep this up!"

The crowd had much more energy now and thus were fully invested as Yukiko exclaimed, "In the red corner is the surprisingly strong chipmunk who defeated Litwick! With his strong bristles and a rather high tolerance to pain, Chespin!"

The crowd went wild as the chipmunk held up his arms. He then performed a series of somersaults toward the ring before leaping up and landing on one hand, winking at the crowd.

Eevee clapped and squealed, "YEAH! SHOW THAT YOU MEAN BUSINESS!" while Lugarugan shrugged and sighed, "Whatever. The last entrance was better."

"And in the blue corner," Yukiko stated, "While she has fought Caterpie off camera, she is the only one we are yet to see in combat, though for all we know, she might be as deadly as the leader if not more!"

"Damn straight," Lugarugan murmured with a smug look on his face, "Only the best deserves to date someone as awesome as me," Caterpie glaring daggers at him. Could he be more arrogant?

"With a very ferocious look, I present Lycanroc!" Yukiko exclaimed as the red wolf loomed in the darkness for a while. As such, all the people could see were her creepy pink eyes glowing.

She then slowly made her way over to the ring with a look like that of a zombie on her face. Her arms swayed back and forth as she approached the edge and planted her claws firmly into the side. She climbed up slowly, just like a zombie would before standing tall and proud, howling at the moon while the people resisted the urge to applaud her. After all, that had been a rather creative entrance.

'I have to admit, that was pretty cool,' Caterpie thought as Eevee folded her arms and grumbled, "Whatever. She may look creepy, but she's got nothing on Chespin."

However, her eyes and mouth widened when she noticed Chespin trembling a bit, a stunned look plastered all over his face. Lycanroc noticed this and gasped, "Oh, was I too scary?"

Lugarugan rose an eyebrow, thus she patted the sides of her face, thinking, 'No, Lycanroc, you are serious about this! You are fully focused! Lugarugan's plan is in your powerful paws! Don't sympathize with the enemy!'

Once Chespin got over the shock of such a scary entrance from someone who up to this point seemed more timid than she looked, he took a deep breath and struck a more threatening stance. There was no way he would let the wolf get to her, especially when he had already been so close to death.

With both fighters looking ready, Yukiko nodded and stated, "Well, folks, the combatants are set. Let us begin."

And with the bell rung, Lycanroc slowly made her way toward Chespin with the same lifeless look as before. Chespin had his bristles ready to counter only for the red wolf to pick up the pace and race toward him. But just as he sent his bristles toward her, she dodged to the side and swung her paw hard into his cheek.

Lugarugan grinned and said, "That's right," as she leaned backward with her paws holding her up. And with the leverage she needed, she sent both of her feet into the exact same spot as the chipmunk faltered sideways. And it only got worse when Lycanroc propelled herself toward him, landing one last kick. And since this was more powerful, it managed to knock him on his side.

'I see,' Caterpie thought, 'She's not as fast as Lugarugan, but she has a great deal of skill to make up for that. Come on, Chespin, knock some sense into her.'

The chipmunk grunted and rose back up to his feet. Since he had only taken in three hits, he was still fine, but even so, it was clear that Lycanroc might have been just as big of a threat as her boyfriend. Needless to say, he would need to be even more careful.

"And from just three hits, Lycanroc has shown us just how strong she is," Yukiko stated, "Let's see if Chespin can get the upper hand."

Chespin knew he would need to think fast when the red wolf sauntered toward him. This time, the chipmunk did not wait for her to get closer as he figured she would try the same tactic again. However, Lycanroc saw this coming and sent a punch toward him.

Luckily, Chespin was prepared and thus he leapt to the side. Unfortunately, this left him side open for another punch, this one striking him in the gut. His eyes widened as he could not believe how much this hurt. As large as Lycanroc's paws were, he did not think they would be this strong.

However, the rest of the crowd could see how it dealt so much damage for Lycanroc had a dark purple wind emanating from her fist as she exclaimed, "DARKNESS FIST!"

It only got worse when she sent a punch with the same level of power into Chespin's face, causing him to cough up blood as he flew backward into the ropes. The crowd was even more scared when he bounced toward her, the red wolf reeling her arms back and preparing another attack, one that she was sure would finish the chipmunk off easily.

"THAT'S MY GIRL!" Lugarugan exclaimed with a big smile as Eevee cried, "COME ON, CHESPIN, YOU'RE BETTER THAN THAT!"

While flying, Chespin gritted his teeth and thought, 'No, I won't let Eevee deal with both of you alone,' before flipping his body three hundred and sixty degrees and smacking Lycanroc's forehead with his tail.

The red wolf's eyes and mouth were wide open as the chipmunk took full advantage of this by latching his feet to her neck. He then leaned backward and lifted her high into the air, sending her skull hard into the canvas. And once he released his hold on her, she fell on her back and clutched onto that very spot.

The crowd cheered wildly while she rocked back and forth and bit her lower lip to stop herself from howling in agony. While Lycanroc's attacks were strong, for whatever reason, she did not have a high tolerance to pain.

"Way to go, Chespin!" Eevee squealed as the chipmunk leapt toward the red wolf and planted both of his feet into her gut before distancing himself from her.

"After a very rough start, Chespin has gotten the advantage," Yukiko stated, "Despite only having taken in three attacks, Lycanroc already looks like she's about to throw in the towel."

However, when the red wolf turned and saw Lugarugan giving her a disapproving stare with his arms folded, she knew she had to ignore this. After all, this was for the entire group. She would not only win this match for him but also for Noivern and Litwick.

As such, she pretended the pain meant nothing and propelled herself upright, taking a few deep breaths as Chespin blinked and asked, "Um, are you okay?" Caterpie a tad concerned himself.

The red wolf narrowed her eyelids and growled, "Don't mock me! Besides, that was nothing!" as she held up her arms threateningly. Needless to say, Chespin would still need to keep his guard up if he was to win this match.


	15. Chapter 15

While Chespin got a slight advantage, he still had to be careful. After all, Lycanroc had already proven herself a major threat by dealing far more damage to him in a short period of time. She may not have been as fast as Lugarugan, but she was certainly more unpredictable and physically strong, and that made her even more frightening.

Even so, the chipmunk knew he could not lower his guard as the red wolf advanced toward him at a faster pace. Seeing this, Chespin was ready to counter only for her to leap into the air and plant her feet into his forehead. But before he could fall on his back, Lycanroc landed in front of him and reached her arm out, grabbing onto his face and holding tightly, digging her claws into his flesh but making sure not to kill him.

Lugarugan clapped and exclaimed, "Now that's more like it!" Caterpie gasping, "COME ON, LYCANROC, THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE DOING!"

The red wolf turned to face him with her eyes wide with shock. She could see sincerity in his expression as he whimpered, "Come on, I know you don't wanna do this!" Lugarugan about to kick him in the face again when suddenly, Chespin took full advantage of this and extended his bristles.

Lycanroc winced when he curved them inward and planted them into the back of her paw. As such, she growled and thought, 'Dammit, I let him trick me again!' before swinging her arm in a circular motion as the same purple wind from before covered it.

The crowd gasped as she exclaimed, "DARKNESS PITCH!" hurling Chespin hard enough toward the turnbuckle to separate his bristles from her paw. Sure, it resulted in fairly big cuts forming and caused her more pain, but Chespin had it worse when the back of his head collided with the pole.

Lugarugan smiled wide and exclaimed, "That's right, Honey Pumpkin! Treat pain like a minor inconvenience and you'll go far!" as Eevee thought, 'I swear, when we fight, I'll shut you up for good.'

He then turned to Caterpie and sighed, "And you thought she didn't wanna do this. Look, it's true that Lycanroc cares about the well-being of others. She prefers not to hurt people if she can help it. But right now, she knows that she has no choice and she will stop at nothing to make sure we finally get what we deserve."

Once again, Caterpie did not fully believe the reasoning behind this. He had a sneaking suspicion that Lugarugan had played a big part in all of their problems, whether he meant to or not. But currently, Lycanroc and her friends had far too much faith in him in catch onto any of this.

Chespin groaned and rubbed the back of his head, thinking, 'I have to admit, this is looking hopeless, but there's no way I'm giving up. Popplio fought to the bitter end when the odds were stacked against him and I'll do the same, dammit!'

With that in mind, he raced toward Lycanroc who readied her claws for a counterattack. However, this time the chipmunk was ready as he slid toward her legs, ramming his left foot into her right ankle. This caused her to trip and fly over him as he propelled himself up to her level, piercing her flesh with his bristles and leaning backward before she had any time to respond.

And sure enough, her skull made contact with the canvas as he exclaimed, "NEEDLE SUPLEX!" releasing his hold and allowing her to collapse.

The crowd cheered wildly while Lycanroc thought, 'No, ignore it. It's just a minor inconvenience.' As such, she slowly rose to her feet. She could not let Lugarugan down no matter what.

The brown wolf smiled and said, "No matter what happens, she'll just keep getting up again," as Caterpie glared and retorted, "Some boyfriend you are!"

Lugarugan scowled at him as even Eevee was rather curious, the caterpillar adding, "Do you not see how much pain she's been taking in from each attack? It's obvious this fight is putting a serious strain on her but she's risking it all because you've convinced her that she has to."

Rather than punishing Caterpie again, Lugarugan simply turned away from him as if the very words he had just heard meant nothing. As such, the caterpillar narrowed his eyelids and thought, 'I knew it.'

Lycanroc once again sped toward Chespin as he frowned and thought, 'Damn, that was the best I could come up with and I doubt she'll fall for it again.'

He then thought of something he could do, but just as he was ready to move, Lycanroc spread both of her arms out. Thus when Chespin leapt to the right, he wound up taking her left arm to his neck. And it only got worse when the purple wind formed again, Lycanroc spinning fast enough to send him flying toward the ropes while shouting, "CLOTHESLINE OF DARKNESS!"

As the chipmunk bounced off, Lycanroc expected him to try to strike her with his tail again. As such, she held both of her paws out, and while Chespin did not have the strength to attempt the move again, he did wind up flying into her grasp. Thus she repositioned her paws so her claws dug into his arms and leapt high into the air so the crowd could see her silhouette in front of the moon.

Panic spread through the area as Lycanroc flipped one hundred and eighty degrees with the purple wind surrounding her entire body. And soon enough, the back of Chespin's head made contact with the canvas while she exclaimed, "MIDNIGHT SUPLEX!"

The chipmunk coughed up blood as Lycanroc released him and leapt away from him, Eevee squeaking, "CHESPIN!"

Caterpie tensed up and uttered, "Oh my god, that looked painful," while Lugarugan once again applauded the red wolf with a big grin on his face. He could not have been happier with these results so far as while his girlfriend may have taken in a few good hits, she still seemed to dominate the match.

Lycanroc breathed heavily and stared down at Chespin, thinking, 'Please stay down. I don't want to have to hurt you anymore. Please, just don't get back up.'

But just as Yukiko was about to announce the chipmunk's loss, the crowd smiled when they noticed him rise back to his feet, ignoring the blood dripping from his arms and breathing heavily. He then shook his head and grunted, "Did you honestly think that was enough? It's gonna be hard to top being burned, you know?"

Lycanroc bit her lower lip but looked back at Lugarugan who gave her a thumb up and said, "You're doing great, Honey Pumpkin."

With that in mind, she let out a sigh and thought, 'No one said this would be easy. I just need to keep landing impressive blows until he submits. That's it.'

Chespin, meanwhile, was not as confident as he seemed. He was feeling very weak, even more so than he had from taking in Litwick's multiple attacks. But even so, he could not lose, not at this point.

"This match has been really intense so far," Yukiko stated, "While Chespin has managed to pull off a few impressive tactics, Lycanroc has dealt a number of severe blows to him. But for all we know, Chespin could very well turn this around. Let's see if he can do just that."

Lugarugan simply shook his head and sighed, "I know it's, like, her job or something to be neutral, but she's giving him way too much credit. This is such a pointless struggle. He should have just accepted defeat right then and there and saved himself some additional pain."

Lycanroc once again pursued Chespin as he thought, 'Alright, I need to be really careful,' and thus when she got close, he leapt backward as he felt dodging to the side would likely lead to the same results as before. Unfortunately, he did got go far back enough as the red wolf reached forward and grabbed his foot, lifting him up before slamming his back into the canvas.

However, the crowd gasped when the chipmunk ignored the pain and latched his other leg to her wrist. This caught the red wolf off guard as he used his hands to pull on her paw, causing her quite a bit of pain while Yukiko exclaimed, "And in a shocking turn of events, Chespin has caught Lycanroc in a rather unique submission hold!"

The chipmunk knew this would not be enough to truly get the advantage back, though, as he noticed Lycanroc seemed to be distracted by this move. As such, he took full advantage of it and pried his free foot out of her hold and flipped himself over, sending it into the red wolf's forehead. This caused her wince as he landed in front of her and knelt down, grabbing onto her leg and pulling on it thus causing her to fall on her back.

The crowd went wild as Chespin leapt up into the air with his arms raised and barked, "WOOD HAMMER!" He then sent them crashing down into Lycanroc's gut as for the first time in the entire match, she coughed up blood while her eyes and mouth were wide open.

The area erupted with even louder cheers and applause as Eevee squealed, "Yeah! That's more like it!" Lugarugan starting to panic. Now he was starting to worry that Lycanroc would lose, but was it because he cared about her health or was it something else?

Chespin smirked and exclaimed, "Alright, time to end this!" lifting up his arms for one last strike. But just as the attack was about to land, Lycanroc crossed her arms in front of herself thus blocking the incoming strike. It still dealt damage, but nowhere near as much as she lifted up her legs and sent them hard into the chipmunk's chin.

The crowd panicked once more while Chespin flew high into the air. As such, Lycanroc saw a perfect opportunity to end the match for good as she leapt up to his height and once again latched onto his shoulders, her claws digging into his flesh and making the wounds from earlier bigger.

"COME ON, CHESPIN, GET OUT OF THAT!" Eevee squeaked, the rest of the crowd giving him encouraging words.

"I WON'T LOSE!" Chespin grunted as he extended his bristles and planted them into the sides of Lycanroc's paws. However, at this point, the red wolf refused to let the pain get to her anymore and growled, "I will make sure Lugarugan's dream becomes a reality! You'd understand if you only knew what we were fighting for!"

With that, she leaned backward just like before as the purple wind surrounded her. And ultimately, Chespin was unable to respond and thus his skull hit the canvas hard, Lycanroc shouting, "MIDNIGHT SUPLEX!"

Chespin coughed up blood while his eyes rolled to the back of his head. And when Lycanroc released her hold on him and allowed him to collapse, it was clear that he would not be able to recover from this one. Eevee clasped her paws over her mouth while Lugarugan folded his arms and nodded his head in approval, Caterpie shaking his head in disappointment.

After a few seconds, Yukiko sighed and stated, "Chespin put up a valiant effort, but in the end, this match goes to Lycanroc," the woman ringing the bell as fear spread through the area. Now Eevee was all by herself against two very powerful wolves, and she knew full well how difficult this would be.

Lycanroc let out a sigh and said, "I'm sorry to hurt you so badly, but I had no choice," smiling at Lugarugan until he asked, "Are you just gonna leave it at that?"

"What?" Lycanroc remarked as the brown wolf shrugged and said, "Look, I'm really stoked that you won, but, well, I feel like there's something else you could do."

Caterpie stared and uttered, "You're not thinking of murder, are you?" fear on his face as Lugarugan replied, "Well, that would sound ideal, but I know how much my Honey Pumpkin would hate that. No, I just want you to remove a body part from him, you know, an arm, a leg, or better yet, how about those cheating spikes of his?"

Lycanroc stared in shock and remarked, "But Pookie, that's unnecessary!" only to Lugarugan to shake his head and retort, "You mean like how he removed Litwick's stringy thingy?"

"It's called a wick," Lycanroc uttered only for the brown wolf to retort, "Don't backtalk me! You know that not even you are allowed to do that! And besides, after he cut that off, I think he deserves to lose his greatest weapon too! I mean, look at all the holes he put in your skin with those things!"

Lycanroc bit her lower lip and stared at Lugarugan before turning to Caterpie. He said nothing, but he had a look in his eyes that told the red wolf all she needed to know. As much as it pained her to admit it, he had been right all along.

"No," Lycanroc growled as Lugarugan blinked and remarked, "Excuse me, Honey Pumpkin, I couldn't quite hear that. What did you say?"

The red wolf gritted her teeth and barked, "I said no! Our plan was to find a place where we could be accepted, and you know what!? I'm willing to bet the people here would have accepted us if you'd given them the chance! Now thanks to you and your rash way of thinking, that'll never happen!"

Lugarugan stared in shock before uttering, "I don't think you know what you're-" only for Lycanroc to retort, "Yes I do! All this time, you've only pretended to care about me while using me for your own ends, haven't you!? You never cared about any of us! All of this was for your own selfish benefit!"

Caterpie nodded and thought, 'Well, better late than never,' as the red wolf added, "And you know what else!? I think the only reason everyone back home shunned us was because of you! When you ran for class president, no one voted for you because you're nothing more than a psychopath! Isn't that right!? I heard rumours that you bullied people, but I refused to believe it because I thought you were misunderstood, but it was all true, wasn't it!?"

Lugarugan gritted his teeth while she added, "And you know what else I realized? The whole reason the others and I were cast out by the rest of the student body is because we made the mistake of associating ourselves with you! And here we had a chance for a new beginning and you ruined it!"

The area went silent until Eevee smiled and clapped. Though she had not heard Lycanroc's reasons for this like Caterpie had, she had heard enough to understand the situation and could not have felt more proud of her for standing up to her boyfriend like that.

Though of course, Caterpie was the most proud of her right now as he nodded his head. And before Lugarugan could even react, Lycanroc leapt up toward where the caterpillar was seated and swiped her claws downward thus cutting the wax rope off of him.

"I'm so sorry for everything you and your friends have had to deal with," Lycanroc sighed only for Lugarugan to grab her by the tail and grunt, "HOW DARE YOU!?"

Before she could respond, he used all his might to hurl her into the ground in front of the bleachers and bark, "Alright, I wanted to teach that Eevee a lesson, but it seems you're the one who needs a lecture right now! You and me, tomorrow at midnight! Consider yourself dumped!"

Lycanroc growled at him and spat on his cheek, retorting, "You can't break up with me! I already broke up with you!" Lugarugan releasing steam from his nostrils and marching angrily out of the area.

But once he was gone, Lycanroc had tears in her eyes. Caterpie and Eevee both stared with concern when she planted her paws against her face, trying her hardest not to cry. Needless to say, it was difficult as even the same crowd that had been against her up until now could not help but feel sorry for her.

Caterpie crawled over to the red wolf and sighed, "You did the right thing," as she looked him deep in the eyes and wrapped her arms around him. Right now, she needed someone to hug, and he was so far the only one among his friends who knew of her past.

Soon enough, medics entered the area to load Chespin up onto a stretcher as Eevee asked, "Hey, um, can you help out those other two over there? They've been deprived of treatment for a while."

With that in mind, one medic nodded and pulled out a communicator, saying, "Hey, guys, we need a couple more stretchers, stat."

Soon enough, Noivern and Litwick were taken to a nearby ambulance to join Chespin as Eevee whimpered, "I hope they don't go to jail. I know they did bad things, but-" Caterpie sighing, "I'll call Dad and let him know why they did what they did. I might be able to convince him to let them off with a warning."

Lycanroc blinked before smiling and wiping her tears. She then placed a paw atop his head and said, "Thank you so much. I just wish I saw a truth before, well, you know," directing her gaze toward the ambulance.

"Well, the important thing is that you get some good rest and prepare yourself," Caterpie stated as Eevee growled, "Yeah! Make Lugarugan pay for how he treated you!"

Lycanroc nodded and sighed, "Of course. Though I know he probably wants the cave," Caterpie replying, "That's perfectly fine. You can stay at the mansion with me. I'll just let my servants and bodyguards know you'll be living there from now on."

Eevee's eyes widened while Lycanroc gave the caterpillar a big smile and said, "I'd like that very much," before sighing, "But do you think the people of Tokyo could ever accept us?"

"I think they already have," Eevee replied as she directed the red wolf's gaze toward the crowd, one member exclaiming, "Yeah, teach that asshole a lesson!" another adding, "Make him pay!"

The others seemed to support her as Eevee sighed, "Villains turning over a new leaf is pretty common. Heck, look at Chespin. He actually was evil once and now he's on our side."

Lycanroc took a deep breath and said, "So there might be hope for the others," as Caterpie gave her an odd look, the red wolf adding, "Well, I'm sure they'd likely want to return home after finding out what's really been going on and patch things up. As for me, I really like Tokyo. Coming here was probably the best decision Lugarugan made, so if you'll have me-"

She did not even need to finish that statement when Eevee and Caterpie gave her a hug, big smiles on their faces. Now all that mattered was Lycanroc's match with Lugarugan, which would hopefully put an end to all of this.

But before anyone could return home, they all headed to the hospital to check up on their friends. Thankfully, due to recent events, they were allowed to enter as Eevee entered the room where Popplio was currently resting. And since it had not been twenty-four hours since he suffered defeat, he was still fast asleep as the fox sighed, "Lugarugan really pulled a number on you."

She then put on a more serious look and grunted, "But don't worry. Lycanroc will make him pay, I just know it. So don't worry about a thing."

Caterpie and Lycanroc watched this from outside the room and smiled. The red wolf truly felt like she had made the right choice. Now all she needed to do was prove Eevee correct and everything would be nice and peaceful again.


	16. Chapter 16

With less than twenty four hours left before Lycanroc's match with Lugarugan, she and Caterpie headed to his mansion. She stood before the gate and stared in stunned silence as the caterpillar smiled and said, "Come on inside. You can wash up and then have a nice, long rest."

"I know I've said this a lot, but seriously, thank you," Lycanroc sighed, "I really don't feel like I deserve this," Caterpie shaking his head and replying, "You stood up to Lugarugan after everything he did to you. You at least deserve something nice for that."

Lycanroc nodded and asked, "I just thought of something. It's great that you and Eevee have accepted me, but what about Popplio and Chespin? I mean, we were both so hard on them."

"I'm sure it'll be fine," Caterpie sighed, "Don't worry about it, okay? We'll make sure they know everything that's going on."

The red wolf took a deep breath and nodded before looking around and thinking, 'It's been so long since I've been inside a building. I forgot how nice it was,' a light smile on her face as her mind added, 'There's no doubt about it. I can't let Lugarugan take over.'

First she was given a bit of medical treatment from the staff as per Caterpie's request. Currently, a moth wearing a nurse's outfit applied ointment to one of her wounds as she winced from the pain. But as unpleasant as the feeling was, it brought back memories of when her mother used to do this for her.

With that in mind, she looked up at the nurse and asked, "Hey, um, Edawing? May I use the phone?" the moth nodding and replying, "Certainly. And don't worry if it's long distance. Trust me, we can afford it."

She then brought Lycanroc a cordless phone as she dialled a few numbers, holding it up to her ear. And soon enough, she heard a voice and said, "Hi, Mom."

At first, all she received in response was silence. But after a while, she heard excitement followed by what she felt was much-deserved scolding. As it so happened, her match with Chespin had been broadcast all over the world and her mother could not have been more disappointed.

But as it so happened, Lycanroc's parents had also seen the part where she stood up to Lugarugan and thus the mother told her just how proud she was. As such, Lycanroc let down a light tear and sniffed, "I just wanted to let you know that the others might return. But as for me, I actually really like it here in Tokyo. I'll be sure to visit every now and then, but I've actually made friends here, so if I can defeat Lugarugan, would that be okay? I'm not just going to live here. I'm going to help them fight evil. There are a lot of them, but they could still use the extra help, you know?"

After a few seconds of more silence, she received a response. It seemed to have been positive when a wide smile formed on her face, the red wolf sighing, "Thank you so much, Mom."

After the call ended, the nurse continued to give her treatment until she was already feeling much better. But before heading to bed, she had Caterpie show her to the bathroom as he said, "Now, don't be alarmed, but the toilet actually cleans itself for you. I think it's a little excessive myself, but Dad says it saves time, so who am I to complain?

Lycanroc smiled and asked, "Wow, so it does all the flushing and scrubbing?" as Caterpie nodded and replied, "Yeah. It still has a flusher in case it ever malfunctions, but that's the basic gist of it."

When she entered, she was entranced by how fancy the bathroom was. Everything was sparkling clean and the shower cap was made of pure gold. She never would have imagined someone like herself living in a place like this and yet here she was.

Once she was finished relieving herself, she exited the bathroom as Caterpie asked, "So, you ready for bed?" the red wolf sighing, "Yeah. The nice thing about us canines is that we can go to sleep easily."

The caterpillar nodded and led her to one of three guestrooms. He then looked around it and sighed, "Yeah, Dad had the funny feeling I might have people over here a lot, so he specifically chose a mansion with multiple guestrooms. But I feel this is the nicest one, so yeah."

Lycanroc looked around as it was a very nice room. There was a curtain for if anyone had a reason to change clothes in there. She had a nice queen-sized bed with the warmest blankets money could buy. There were multiple drawers and a big closet. But one major standout was a lovely red and blue carpet.

The red wolf smiled at all of this and turned to Caterpie, saying, "I love it," as the caterpillar nodded and replied, "That's good to hear. Goodnight."

With that, he closed the door while Lycanroc let out a sigh and thought, 'Well, Lugarugan, my wish has come true and I didn't need you to make it happen. I won't let you take this away from me or anyone else.'

During this time, Lugarugan tried his hardest to get to sleep in the cave as he grumbled, "Stupid Lycanroc! We were so close, so very close! Why did I have to be attracted to such a wimp!? I gave up so many opportunities to bust people's heads open and this is how she repays me!"

He then looked up at the ceiling and smirked, saying, "Oh well, maybe this is for the best. Once I take over Tokyo, it'll be all mine. I won't have to share the glory with anyone. That suits me just fine."

That seemed to calm him down as he let out a yawn and dozed off. There was no way he would lose everything he worked so hard for, despite the fact that his ex-girlfriend was the one standing in his way. Besides, with her living in Tokyo now, she would have to bow down to him if he won.

The following morning, Lycanroc woke up bright and early, but as much as she wanted to look around her new home, her main incentive was to start training. And luckily, there was a room specifically designed for this as she used the various exercise equipment to ready herself. After all, her biggest weakness was her low resistance to pain and if she was to stand a chance against Lugarugan, she would need to build that up for sure.

After roughly an hour, she felt more than ready as she headed downstairs for breakfast, seeing Caterpie seated at one of his dining tables and saying, "Good morning."

Lycanroc smiled and replied, "Morning to you, too. I guess I should whip myself up a little something too, eh?"

"Oh, you don't have to," Caterpie replied, "My servants will bring you your breakfast," as the red wolf blinked and sighed, "Wow, guess living in a mansion's harder to get used to than I thought."

As if the idea of being brought breakfast was not weird enough, Lycanroc was given a menu with a list of items to choose from. It was like dining at a fancy restaurant, and to think she might get this kind of treatment every single day.

Upon looking at the options, she bit her lower lip as light tears formed in her eyes. Caterpie blinked and asked, "Is none of that to your liking?" the wolf shaking her head and sniffing, "No. I'm just so happy. All I wanted was to be accepted by people, but I got something even better."

The caterpillar gave her a sweet smile and said, "Yeah, and once you wipe the mat with Lugarugan, you'll be able to enjoy this more often," the wolf nodding with a confident grin. She may have hated bringing extreme harm to others, but right now, Lugarugan was the exception to this and if any other villains showed up, she would not hold back against them either.

Meanwhile, Eevee had decided to visit Popplio and Chespin at the hospital again. But as she entered the seal's room, her eyes sparkled when she noticed the seal not only awake but also enjoying a nice breakfast. And upon seeing the fox, his eyes lit up as he said, "Bonjour, Eevee."

"Popplio, you're awake!" Eevee squealed only for the seal to hush her and whisper, "Keep it down. You're in a hospital, remember?"

"Oh yeah," the fox replied with a nervous laugh before making her way over to him and sighing, "It's just so nice to see you wide awake. When did you wake up, by the way?"

"An hour ago," the seal replied before turning to his right, lifting the curtain to see Chespin, adding, "I assume there's a story behind this, oui?"

Eevee nodded and explained the whole thing to him as he said, "Sensationnel. So not only is Chespin on our side, but so is Lycanroc."

The fox nodded and sighed, "I am a bit worried, though. After the way she hurt Chespin, I'm wondering if he would be able to accept her. I assume you'd be okay with it."

"Oui," the seal replied, "As long as she realizes her mistake, she's more than welcome to join our group. But I'm not so sure about Chespin either. I'm happy that he's decided to fight alongside us, and I think it's great that he managed to defeat one of them. I'm just not sure if he really would be okay with the one who gave him such a horrible beating working alongside him."

Eevee nodded and groaned, "I assured Lycanroc that he would be okay with it, but I didn't really mean it. I mostly just wanted her to stop worrying about every little thing, you know?"

"You may not be the best fighter among us, but you are a genial ami," Popplio stated as the fox retorted, "And what is that supposed to mean?" the two sharing a good laugh but making sure to keep it quiet.

Popplio then sighed, "But seriously, Eevee, I bet if it was you fighting Lugarugan, you'd probably win. After the way you took down Noivern, I have no doubt in my mind."

Eevee was not completely sure about that, but she took the compliment regardless and said, "And on the upside, at least you'll be there to watch Lycanroc's match."

"Actually, I'll have to catch it on TV," the seal replied with a sigh, "The doctor says I can't move again until noon tomorrow. I hope that's alright."

The fox pouted in response to this. After all, she really wanted him to be there. But even so, she took a deep breath and nodded with a smile, saying, "Yeah, it's best that you stay here and get better, eh?"

The seal nodded back and added, "Besides, as long as you and Caterpie are there to support Lycanroc, I think she'll be just fine," the two sharing a light hug. Though now Eevee wanted Lycanroc to win even more. Without Popplio there, she could not imagine how things would turn out if the red wolf lost and she had to take her place.

All the while, Lugarugan was currently training outside of the cave by sending a barrage of punches into a rock. Seeing as this was not hurting his fists, he had a big grin while he thought, 'Yeah! Just because my fists aren't as big as hers doesn't mean I can't be as strong! Just you wait, Lycanroc! You'll wish you never turned against me!'

And with all said and done, the rest of the day went by slowly. Eevee decided to spend some time training just in case things went wrong while Lycanroc and Lugarugan were both doing their absolute best to prepare. But of course, everyone decided to get an hour-long nap in as the fight would once again take place really late.

Once eleven o'clock rolled around, everyone was assembled and feeling more awake than before. After all, they had much more time to prepare for this match, not to mention the idea of Lugarugan's former ally fighting him was beyond exciting.

"Alright, folks, we are once again gathered in the forest," Yukiko stated, "In just one hour, at midnight exactly, the fight between Lycanroc and Lugarugan will begin, and hopefully, this will be the last one to decide Tokyo's fate! Not only that, but it's also a fight between former lovers, so this will be even more interesting!"

During this time, Lugarugan was resting in a secluded area as he grinned and thought, 'I've done enough training for the day. Lycanroc, you don't stand a chance.'

All the while, Lycanroc got in some last minute training while Caterpie and Eevee sat in the bleachers next to one-another. The caterpillar let out a sigh and said, "You know, after being bound for almost two days, it feels nice to be a normal audience member. I mean, of course, if it were me in the ring, I'd totally kick that bastard's ass, but I still have faith."

Eevee nodded and replied, "Me too. After the way Lycanroc dealt with all that pain from Chespin, I can safely say Lugarugan won't know what hit him."

And with that, the hour was soon up as Popplio watched the TV screen with intent. Machop and Isamu had also tuned in to witness the event. And since this was so important, a lot of kids were kept up late to watch the match on TV as they wanted to see just how this would play out along with their parents.

"Alright, folks, this is it!" Yukiko exclaimed, "It's been a rather intense couple of days, but now it's finally time! In the red corner, a powerful wolf who once fought for the side of evil but is now on our side! She defeated Chespin earlier, but she is going to make up for that tonight! Presenting Lycanroc!"

The crowd cheered wildly as she headed toward the ring with a serious look on her face. She was no longer looking for the fearful approach as she was far too serious about this.

Once she got close to the ring, she leapt up and landed firmly against the canvas, raising her arms in the air as the cheers got louder. She then smiled at Caterpie and Eevee and nodded her head reassuringly. She would make sure neither of them would have to take on her ex in her place.

"And in the blue corner," Yukiko stated, "He was once the leader of a strong pack but now he fights alone. Having defeated Popplio with ease, Lugarugan!"

The crowd glared at him and booed him while he raced toward the ring and leapt onto it, letting out a loud howl with his arms spread out. He did not even care about the crowd's reaction. Right now, all that mattered to him was making Lycanroc pay for turning against him.

The red wolf scowled at him as he sighed, "Don't give me that look, you traitor. Seriously, you're not the only one feeling heartbroken by all of this."

"Can it!" Lycanroc retorted with a look of fury, "Don't pretend for a minute that you actually gave a shit about our relationship! You were only using me for your own ends! My deepest regret is going along with it for so long, but tonight is when I redeem myself!"

With all said and done, both wolves stood on separate sides of the ring as Yukiko stated, "Well, folks, both fighters seem more than ready. Therefor, it's time to-"

However, she was cut off when Lugarugan raced toward Lycanroc and sent a knee kick into her gut. Her eyes and mouth were wide with shock while the brown wolf added to the pain with an uppercut followed by an onslaught of punches to her face. As such, Yukiko rang the bell thus signalling the start of the match.

"WHAT THE HELL!?" Eevee spat, "He didn't even wait!" as Caterpie groaned, "You know what the worst part is? Even if this was a fight between two heroes, that would be legal."

"I'm through with playing by the rules!" Lugarugan growled, "I've already agreed to enough of your terms! It's time I end this all for good and claim what's rightfully mine!"

Lycanroc refused to let him continue and thus she held up her arms, blocking two incoming punches. She then took full advantage of this and lifted her legs up, sending them forward and into Lugarugan's gut. This was enough to get him to back up as she breathed heavily, trying her hardest to ignore the pain dealt to her so far.

'Oh, that's cute, trying to pretend that didn't hurt as much,' Lugarugan thought with a smirk, 'I could tell from the exact second you took in one hit from Chespin that you wouldn't be able to handle even my weakest of attacks. It's so pathetic. You're supposed to be a rock type, so what the hell?'

The crowd looked concerned while Yukiko stated, "While Lycanroc managed to shake Lugarugan off of her, she already seems to have taken in a lot of pain. Hopefully she can turn things around."

Caterpie gave her a supportive look as she faced him and smiled sweetly. As such, she ignored the pain dealt to her and advanced upon Lugarugan, though she did it very slowly like when her match with Chespin started.

"Please," Lugarugan sighed, "Do you honestly think I'm gonna fall for that?" as he sped behind her. However, it seemed as if the red wolf had expected this when she leaned forward and planted her big paws into the mat. She then lifted her lower body up and sent her feet into his gut a second time.

The crowd went wild as Lycanroc turned around and barked, "DARKNESS FIST!" sending a hard punch into Lugarugan snout. This drew some blood and also provided just enough of a distraction for her to take hold of his shoulders, planting her claws into them and leaping into the air.

The crowd went wild as a strong purple wind surrounded her body. She then leaned backward and descended toward the canvas, shouting, "MIDNIGHT SUPLEX!" Lugarugan's skull soon making contact with the surface while his eyes shot wide open.

Eevee and Caterpie both gave her a round of applause as she released her hold on the brown wolf. However, she was shocked when she turned and saw that the rest of his body did not collapse. As such, he placed his paws against the mat and flipped himself upright, a look of irritation on his face.

"You think you're so clever, don't you?" he grunted as he clenched his fists, "I'll admit, using a tactic I haven't seen from you yet wasn't a bad idea. Unfortunately, you showed off most of your abilities when you fought Chespin. You'll run out of tricks real soon and then you'll beg to come back to me."

Lycanroc narrowed her eyelids and growled, "You don't scare me. You may seem like a threat to everyone else, but when I look at you, I see a miserable school bully with no idea what he's doing."

"SHUT UP!" the brown wolf snapped before racing toward Lycanroc once more. She seemed prepared this time as she stretched her arms out and planted her paws into his shoulders. But when she leaned backward to slam him into the mat a second time, the brown wolf smirked and extended his own arms, using his paws to prevent a collision.

The crowd gasped as Yukiko exclaimed, "And despite that no doubt causing his shoulders more pain, Lugarugan uses his hands to stop himself from taking in another suplex!"

It did not end there as the brown wolf latched his legs around Lycanroc's neck, lifting her up and planting the back of her neck into the canvas with a frankensteiner. The crowd winced while Eevee squeaked, "Are you alright, Lycanroc!?"

The red wolf gritted her teeth when Lugarugan allowed her to collapse. She then rocked back and forth while holding onto the back of her neck, the brown wolf smirking wickedly and thinking, 'Don't look so disappointed. You were doomed the moment you entered the ring, you bitch.'


	17. Chapter 17

While Lycanroc had gotten a bit of an advantage earlier, there was no doubt that Lugarugan had dominated the match up to this point. And this was not only due to his superior speed but also Lycanroc's low resistance to pain. No matter how hard she tried, she could not hide how much the blows dealt earlier hurt.

"I can't believe I once considered you worthy of dating someone as awesome as me," the brown wolf said tauntingly before stepping on Lycanroc's chest, "And to think, I put up with your bullshit for so long."

The crowd could not help but feel sorry for the red wolf as Lugarugan rubbed his foot back and forth as if he was squishing a bug and grunted, "Do you have any idea how many heads I could have busted in to get where I am!? So many times I wanted true vengeance on the people who shunned me for who I was, but I chose not to because I knew how much it would upset you! You're lucky I actually noticed and gave a shit about that, you ungrateful skank!"

Eevee gritted her teeth and snapped, "ARE YOU GONNA TAKE THAT FROM HIM!?" Lycanroc's eyes widening as she added, "Don't let him talk about you like that! I think any guy would be lucky to have you!"

Caterpie nodded and added, "If anything, Lugarugan is the true ingrate here," the brown wolf sighing, "What a cliched response from the peanut gallery."

However, Lycanroc did not seem to agree, thus she gritted her teeth and lifted up her arms, placing a firm grip on Lugarugan's ankle. The brown wolf blinked as she twisted that very part, dealing great pain and causing him to fall on his side. This gave Lycanroc a perfect opportunity to rise to her feet as she kicked him onto his belly, mounted herself on his back and pulled on his chin.

The crowd went wild as Yukiko exclaimed, "And once again, Lycanroc escapes from a tough predicament as she sets up Lugarugan for a camel clutch!" Caterpie whistling at her.

Lugarugan could not believe this. Neither he nor Lycanroc had ever relied on submission holds before, and yet here he was on the receiving end of a really powerful one. He could feel his back weaken by the second as he gritted his teeth and lifted up his arms, placing them firmly against the red wolf's.

Lycanroc could feel this as she growled, "I don't think so," increasing the force of her pull while the cheers got even louder. At this point, she would not give Lugarugan the chance to get the upper hand back no matter what.

"Not gonna lie, I was pretty scared back there," Eevee sighed as Caterpie nodded in agreement.

After a few more seconds, Lugarugan let out a sigh and groaned, "You know what? You're right," Lycanroc blinking as he added, "I've been a real monster this whole time. Maybe it was just my sadistic nature that caused everyone to hate me. If I had been nicer like you, I may have been accepted by society."

Lycanroc's eyes widened while he added, "I feel like I've been so unfair to you and the others all this time. I already miss how wonderful it was being your boyfriend, so what say we let bygones be bygones and start again?"

No one knew how to react to this. On one hand, most of the crowd thought he was lying for sure, but he sounded sincere. Even Lycanroc had a look of uncertainty on her face.

"I understand why you wouldn't believe me," Lugarugan groaned, "I don't really deserve your trust. But I really mean what I'm saying."

That was all Lycanroc needed to hear, thus she released her hold on the brown wolf, allowing his head to fall forward as his chin hit the canvas. He then took a few deep breaths and rose to his feet before Lycanroc rested a paw on his shoulder with a sweet smile.

When Lugarugan lifted up his own paw and placed it against hers, Eevee's eyes widened as she barked, "HE'S LYING!" but it was too late when the brown wolf smirked and planted his claws into the very part he had touched.

Lycanroc cried out in pain as Lugarugan exclaimed, "WOW, YOU ARE SO NAIVE!" before placing his other paw against the same part and using all his might to flip the red wolf over his shoulder and onto her back.

Once again, this caused more pain than it should have as Lycanroc lifted her back up and placed one paw against it. And it did not end there when Lugarugan leapt onto her gut and planted the claws on his feet into her flesh. The crowd watched in horror while he leapt high into the air and flipped backward until her head was facing the mat.

"FULL MOON FLIP!" he exclaimed as Lycanroc made contact with the surface and coughed up blood. Thus he released his hold on her and allowed her to collapse, a maniacal grin on his face.

"Oh no," Eevee groaned, Caterpie sighing, "As foolish as that was, it makes sense. Lugarugan is her first boyfriend. I guess she just couldn't handle the thought of him being irredeemable."

Eevee gritted her teeth and growled, "God, what an asshole. I really hope she can turn this around and make him pay, because if not, I certainly will."

Lugarugan let out a big laugh and said, "I have to admit, Lycanroc, I'm glad we're not an item anymore. Now I can do whatever I want and you can't stop me."

However, his eyes widened when Lycanroc once again rose to her feet and growled, "You're right about one thing. For a rock type, my body isn't that strong. But at the very least, my physical attacks overpower yours by a long shot!"

With that in mind, the purple wind surrounded her paws as she reeled them both back and exclaimed, "DOUBLE DARKNESS FIST!" sending them forward, Lugarugan unable to dodge in time to avoid a powerful blow to the chest.

For the first time, Lugarugan coughed up blood as Lycanroc sent a high kick into his cheek. And it did not end there when the wind blew around her head this time. Thus she rammed her skull into the brown wolf's chin and barked, "DARK HEADBUTT!"

Lugarugan groaned from the pain, backed up and rubbed the spot that had just been hit. As much as it pained him to admit it, Lycanroc had twice as much physical strength as he did. But even so, there was no way he would lose as he sighed, "Alright, I was trying to avoid having to use this on you, but you gave me no choice."

When he went down on all fours, everyone knew what was coming as he exclaimed, "ACCELEROCK!" and bolted toward the red wolf.

Having seen the move enough times, Lycanroc knew that evading it would do very little. But she figured that if someone as small as Popplio could overpower it, then so could she. As such, she leapt back and planted her feet against the rope, holding her arms out with her claws pointed forward.

Once Lugarugan was close, she launched herself off and spun like a drill, shouting, "WOLF BULLET!" making contact with Lugarugan's face. However, while her attack put small cuts on the brown wolf, a small shock wave flew from him as it seemed Lugarugan's speed made his Accelerock stronger. As such, he continued forward and forces Lycanroc's arms to spread outward, her spinning coming to an end as she soon took her ex-boyfriend's snout to her face.

The crowd stared in horror when she flew backward toward the ropes, her nose bleeding. However, it did not end there when Lugarugan continued to race forward, ramming into her chest and stopping her from bouncing off while she coughed up blood

When Lugarugan backed away from Lycanroc, her body went limp and sunk toward the ground while her legs spread sideways and her knees touched the canvas. However, Lugarugan would not let his guard down again and as such, he smirked and said, "I can see you're still up. That simply won't do."

With that in mind, he headed toward the nearest turnbuckle and leapt onto it with his arms out, the crowd gasping as Eevee squeaked, "COME ON, LYCANROC, GET UP!"

"Yeah, you can still turn this around!" Caterpie added while Lugarugan leapt off of the pole and set up a flying press. But just as the attack was about to land, Lycanroc's eyes widened as she propelled herself up toward him and wrapped her legs around his waist.

"What!?" Lugarugan spat, the crowd going wild, the red wolf leaning backward until both fighters had switched places. And sure enough, the brown wolf's back made contact with the canvas as he coughed up blood, Eevee and Caterpie cheering the loudest.

"And once again, Lycanroc recovers after a very close call!" Yukiko exclaimed with a big smile, "Now Lugarugan is the one who has been taken down by what I can only describe as a new take on the classic frankensteiner!"

It did not end there as Lycanroc kept her legs bound to Lugarugan, growling, "This has gone on long enough! It's time for you to pay!"

The purple wind covered both of her paws this time as she clenched them into fists and exclaimed, "DARK FIST BARRAGE!" sending an onslaught of punches into his face.

The crowd cheered more and more as Lugarugan seemed helpless now, Lycanroc barking, "All this time, you never really liked me! You only saw me as a convenient tool for your own selfish benefit! If anyone deserves to suffer, it's you!"

However, despite having taken in fifteen hits, Lugarugan still had fight in him. Therefor, he lifted up both of his paws, stopping Lycanroc's in their tracks. Her added power of darkness did make the hits stronger thus causing a slight bit of pain to him when he did so, but he had still stopped her assault as he sighed, "It's not my fault you were dumb enough to fall for it."

With that, he threw his arms back as he and Lycanroc flipped over, the red wolf's chin hitting the mat hard. Lugarugan then rose to his feet and took many deep breaths before rubbing his face and grunting, "Damn, girl, you hit hard!"

He then leapt sideways toward the ropes and barked, "Guess that means I'll have to end this as soon as possible! I'm sorry, babe, but I gotta do what needs to be done, you know?"

His side was soon pressed up against the ropes as they stretched back. Seeing this, Lycanroc gasped and propelled herself toward the opposite ropes, thinking, 'This may have failed before, but I know if I use it again, it might just work!' pressing her feet up against them.

The crowd went silent as both wolves launched themselves off, Lugarugan barking, "WOLF BARREL!" while Lycanroc shouted, "WOLF BULLET!" each one spinning toward the other.

"I just know Lycanroc will win this," Caterpie said with a smile, "Not only is she physically stronger, but her attack has more going for it."

However, surprisingly, both seemed evenly matched as when they collided, neither wolf was able to advance forward. Sparks flew while their claws scraped up against one-another. However, it seemed that all the pain dealt earlier was starting to take a serious toll as both of them started to slow down. Unfortunately, it seemed that despite her assortment of punches earlier, Lycanroc was the one who lost the most speed.

As a result, she was unable to go on. She soon found herself scratched up badly by Lugarugan's claws. And after a little longer, the rest of his body rammed into her as she flew backwards into the turnbuckle, her back hitting it hard while she cried out in pain and coughed up blood.

Lugarugan ended his assault as Eevee and Caterpie gasped, "LYCANROC!" the red wolf closing her eyes while the brown wolf breathed heavily, looking her over just to make sure she would not rise back to her feet. After all, she had recovered so many times during the match that he was irritated now.

And after half-a-minute, it seemed Lycanroc really was down for the count as Yukiko stated, "And after a very long and intense match, Lycanroc can no longer move. Therefor Lugarugan is our winner," the woman ringing the bell while panic spread through the area, Caterpie and Eevee embracing one-another.

Popplio watched this from the hospital and shook his head, groaning, "Oh non! She was so close!"

Meanwhile, Machop and Isamu had looks of concern. This meant that Eevee was the only hero in Tokyo left who would be able to face Lugarugan. While she may have improved immensely when she fought Noivern, she still had a way to go and Popplio would not be there to give her advice.

Lugarugan grinned wickedly and rose his arms in the air, shouting, "FINALLY!" before kicking Lycanroc on the side and grunting, "Take that, you nuisance! I never want to see you again!"

The crowd watched with hopelessness in their eyes as he continued to kick Lycanroc while she was down. But just as he readied his seventh kick, Caterpie whipped out his string and bound it to his ankle, grunting, "THAT'S ENOUGH!"

Lugarugan turned to face him while he growled, "You already won! Isn't that good enough!?" only for the brown wolf to grit his teeth and grumble, "You insolent little prick! Stay out of this!"

But just as he was about to reel Caterpie in, Eevee spat, "WAIT!" everyone in the area staring at her. The fox took a deep breath and snapped, "Aren't you forgetting something!? You still have me to deal with before you can claim control over Tokyo, so how about you save your energy!?"

Lugarugan stared at her briefly before smirking and chuckling wickedly. That chuckle grew into heavy laughter as the people were even more frightened of him. And soon enough, he calmed down and smiled at Eevee. It was not his usual grin but a normal smile, something never before seen from him.

"You know, I'm glad you said something," he stated, "I had almost forgotten about that. Alright, since I feel this has gone on long enough and you seem to have enough energy, we'll have our match in the next hour. That should give me more than enough time to recover while you get in as much training as you want. Does that sound alright?"

While the old Eevee certainly would have taken this chance to take advantage of him without a second thought, she wanted to earn every one of her victories from now on. As such, she took a deep breath and replied, "Yeah, that sounds more than fair."

Deep down, she had hoped that he would put off the match until the next day, seeing as it was already nearing one in the morning. After all, Popplio would have been able to give her advice if that was the case, but Eevee had a feeling that Lugarugan would not accept anything else at this point. Not only that, but she, too, wanted to end this as soon as possible.

Caterpie patted her on the shoulder and said, "You'll do great, I just know it," before growling, "If only he hadn't beaten me already! I just know if I fought him one-on-one, I'd totally cream his ass!"

"Of course you would," Eevee replied as she and the caterpillar headed to the ring to check up on Lycanroc. And of course, medics entered the area and loaded her up onto a stretcher while Lugarugan headed off to the same area he had trained in before, only now his intention was to rest up for an hour. After the beating he had taken in, the last thing he needed was to strain himself further.

Caterpie watched the medics take Lycanroc toward an ambulance and sighed, Eevee saying, "You can go with her if you'd like."

The caterpillar shook his head and replied, "No, I need to stay here," before sporting a look of pride and adding, "Besides, when my friends need moral support, I will be there to provide it, for I am Caterpie, the son of Metapod!"

Eevee smirked and replied, "Thanks," before heading off to train. She had to admit, just seeing one of her friends muster up an ounce of positivity right now put her mind at ease.

Popplio was still watching this as he took a deep breath and thought, 'I believe you'll do great as well, Eevee. You still have a way to go, but I have faith in you.'

While training, all Eevee could think about was wiping Lugarugan's smug look off of his face. Of all the villains to threaten Tokyo, he angered her the most. At the very least, she would finish what Lycanroc started.

Once the hour was up, Lugarugan awoke from his nap with a yawn and said, "Well, it's showtime. When this is over, Tokyo will finally be mine."

Eevee, meanwhile, had finished preparations as Yukiko took a sip of coffee she had purchased from a nearby shop during the wait. She then tapped the microphone before exclaiming, "Alright, folks, this is it! It's been a long couple of days, but it's time for the final match to decide the fate of Tokyo! We had the advantage before, but now it's either side's game!"

Needless to say, the audience was nervous now. It was just as Yukiko said. They had started with two heroes only for that number to rise to four. And yet despite all of the extra help, it was all down to Eevee and Lycanroc.

"In the red corner," Yukiko stated, "We have one of the more unexpected heroes. Out of all, as of now, five heroes protecting Tokyo, she has defeated the most villains, which, considering her size and fighting style, is no small feat! While her first victory was confirmed to be a more of a fluke, her second was nothing short of impressive and we can only hope that she'll impress us even more tonight! Everyone, give a around of applause for Eevee!"

The crowd cheered wildly when the fox entered the area with hunting gear on. She slowly approached the ring and entered it, raising her arms in the air and forming peace signs with her paws. And to top it all off, she whipped out a rifle and aimed it into the air, firing confetti from it as some of it fell on her fur, the fox blowing it away from her.

"Wow, what an entrance!" Yukiko exclaimed, "You can tell this firebrand means business!" as Eevee thought, 'I have to admit, entrances like these really do help to relieve stress. Don't you worry, Lycanroc. Your efforts won't be in vain.'

Caterpie gave her a round of applause and thought, 'Note to self, the first time you're in an official match, make an entrance like that.'

"And in the blue corner," Yukiko stated as she pointed at the opposite entrance, "He has proven himself a massive threat so far by defeating both Popplio and Lycanroc! While not the strongest in the world, his speed more than makes up for it! Lugarugan, everyone!"

The crowd was terrified as the wolf was down on all fours and sprinting toward the ring. He then started to perform a series of somersaults. And once he was close enough, he propelled himself into the air and flipped vertically before landing on his paws with his legs straight up in the air.

After that, he flipped himself upright and folded his arms with a smirk, saying, "Nice outfit. You look adorable," Eevee frowning and removing the hunting gear before tossing it out of the ring, growling, "Hey, shut up! This was supposed to make me look badass!"

Lugarugan stared silently for a few seconds before uttering, "Wait, you're serious?" as Eevee narrowed her eyelids, the wolf shrugging and sighing, "No matter. What's important right now is me showing the world why they should have bowed down to me from the start. Oh, and FYI, I'm not going to allow anyone to leave Tokyo ever again, so if those so-called friends of mine, Noivern and Litwick, really do decide to head back home, they can't."

"You're despicable," Eevee growled, Lugarugan shaking his head and remarking, "Am I really? Or could it be that the people who shunned me for who I am are the true monsters? Maybe you're despicable for standing up for them."

It was clear to everyone that trying to talk any sense into Lugarugan at this point was meaningless. As such, the fox headed to her own side of the ring while the wolf did the same. And with all said and done, Yukiko was ready to start the match, but would Eevee get her second true win or was she in over her head?


	18. Chapter 18

This was it. After two tedious days of drama, it was time for the match that would end it all. Eevee had prepared her hardest for this event while Lugarugan was fully rested from his fight with Lycanroc despite only having an hour to recover. In other words, the fox would not have the same advantage she had over Tsareena when they fought.

But just as Yukiko was about to ring the bell, Lugarugan raced toward Eevee just like he had done before. Unfortunately for him, the fox had a feeling he would try this and thus leapt to the side, a smirk on her face as she sent a roundhouse into his waist.

The crowd cheered while she took hold of his arm and threw it sideways, causing the wolf to fall on his back. Needless to say, the excitement among the audience was high as Yukiko rang the bell and exclaimed, "And already we're off to a good start as Eevee evades Lugarugan's cheap tactic and throws him to the mat!"

Eevee proceeded to leap into the air with her elbow aimed at Lugarugan's gut and spat, "Do you think I'm stupid or something!? After you pulled that stunt on Lycanroc, there's no way in Hell I'd fall for that!"

But just as her elbow was about to make contact with him, Lugarugan smirked and placed his paws firmly against the mat. He then swung his lower body upward just in time to send his feet into Eevee's gut, wrapping his legs around her and propelling himself off the mat. And with that, he flipped himself one hundred and eighty degrees, the fox's back soon making contact with the canvas.

The crowd stared in horror while Caterpie groaned, "Oh no," and sure enough, Eevee was unable to fight back as Lugarugan shifted himself around so he could look down at her face. He then smirked and said, "While Lycanroc was nothing more than a disloyal, cheating ho-bag, I have to give her some props for showing me some really creative and effective fighting abilities. Now what did she call this again?"

He then tapped his chin before shrugging and exclaimed, "WOLF FANG BARRAGE!" sending an onslaught of jabs into her face. But since he had his claws pointed forward for this, he wound up putting small holes on Eevee's face thus drawing blood.

Popplio could see this all on the TV in the hospital as he groaned, "Non! You should have weakened him more before attacking him while he was down!" only to hold his flippers over his mouth, knowing that he should not have made so much noise.

"And after, honestly, a better start than Popplio and Lycanroc pulled off, Eevee is now a sitting duck as Lugarugan unleashes an onslaught of sharp jabs," Yukiko stated, "How can she get out of this?"

Lugarugan laughed and barked, "She can't, that's how! I was able to counter this because Lycanroc is too slow to keep up an attack like this! I, on the other hand, am insanely fast! It'll take a true miracle to-"

However, his eyes widened and his teeth were gritted when he slowly looked down and noticed that Eevee had opened her mouth and bitten into his wrists after taking in the thirty-third hit. And it did not end there as she placed a firm grip against his arms and grunted, "Even I know not to take my eyes off of an enemy!"

She then threw her head and arms back, lifting the wolf into the air before sending his skull hard into the canvas. The crowd cheered wildly while Eevee released her hold and leapt upright, breathing heavily and rubbing her face, the blood now on her paws. As powerful as Golisopod and Noivern were, neither one had managed to draw blood this quickly. Thus was the danger of fighting a villain with claws.

Even so, she shook her head and thought, 'You knew what you were getting yourself into when you chose this path. Don't let a little blood scare you.'

As such, once Lugarugan rose back to his feet and rubbed his head, she saw an opportunity and raced toward him. However, it seemed as if the wolf had seen this coming as he smirked and sent his leg backwards, planting his foot into her face.

The crowd gasped while he tauntingly asked, "You didn't think one impressive counter would be enough, did you?" before bending down. He then planted his paws onto the canvas and pierced her gut with the claws on his feet. And with that, he leapt into the air and flipped over until the fox's skull was facing the mat, shouting, "FULL MOON FLIP!"

Once the fox made contact, she gritted her teeth and closed her eyes while Lugarugan distanced himself from her and allowed her to collapse. Caterpie rubbed his temple with panic in his expression as Popplio wished he could be there to give the fox a few tips. Having fought Lugarugan first, he knew full well how dangerous he could be.

Eevee slowly rose to her feet but already found herself breathing pretty heavily. She could not believe just how deadly this guy was. He had only used a small handful of techniques on her and not only had he drawn blood but he had brought her to this point. Not even Golisopod was this threatening.

Even so, there was no way she could give up, not when she and her friends had made it this far. Even if Lugarugan brought her to the brink of death, she would fight to the bitter end. After all, she was fighting not for her own self-esteem but for her friends and the people of Tokyo.

"Look at you, trying to act all tough," Lugarugan tauntingly said with a grin, "I have to admit, you just keep getting more and more adorable. Once I take over, I'll be sure to make you my personal entertainer," the fox's eyes and mouth widening at the mere mention of that.

Now she imagined herself dressed up in a jester outfit while having to perform embarrassing routines for the wolf. With that in mind, she squeaked, "OH, HELL NO!" before racing toward him only to receive a roundhouse to the gut. Thus she backed up as the audience watched in dismay.

"After countering his onslaught, Eevee can't seem to get the upper hand back," Yukiko stated, "Could it be that Noivern might very well be the last opponent she'll ever defeat? After all, it took a lot for even Lycanroc to stand up to Lugarugan's incredible skills."

While Caterpie watched with uncertainty, Popplio gritted his teeth and grumbled, "Come on, Eevee. Think more logically. Those few moves you've landed so far were actually smart. And yet here you are, fighting just as recklessly as you did before. What happened?"

The fox seemed to realize this as she took a deep breath and thought, 'Okay, come on, Eevee. Get it together. Remember how you outsmarted Noivern, and he was more intelligent than Lugarugan! You got this!'

Lugarugan refused to allow her to come up with something as he raced toward her again. The fox leapt to the side only to receive a kick to her ribcage. She did her best to ignore it and latched her arm to that very spot, but it seemed to mean very little when the wolf leapt high into the air with his leg raised. And when he got close to the mat, he swung that very spot downward and planted the fox's back into the surface.

And it only seemed that things would get worse from here as Lugarugan grunted, "You know, after your fight with Noivern, I was at least expecting a challenge. And yet right now, that weak seal seems to be much more impressive. In fact, I'm actually feeling bored by this."

Eevee's body shook while she slowly started to push herself up only for the wolf to grin wickedly and say, "At least the other two were able to take in more pain than you. I think I'll just end this right now," before backing away from her and going down on all fours.

Everyone stared as Yukiko stated, "And Eevee can't seem to do a thing as Lugarugan sets up for that devastating move that overpowered a living drill!" the wolf bolting toward the fox and barking, "ACCELEROCK!"

Eevee had just barely managed to stand when Lugarugan's snout rammed hard into her gut. As such, she coughed up blood and flew away from him, falling on her back with her head tilted sideways and her arms spread out.

Silence filled the area while Lugarugan looked down at the fox. And after a few seconds, he rose his arms in the air and shouted, "ALRIGHT, TOKYO! WELCOME YOUR NEW MASTER!"

"No!" one audience member groaned as another whimpered, "This isn't happening! It's not real!"

Caterpie shook his head and thought, 'No, it can't be over. After the way she took in all that punishment from Noivern and still won, there's just no way.'

Popplio, all the while, had tears in his eyes while he wished even more that he was no longer in the hospital. Despite everything, it was clear that the fox still needed his advice.

But just as Yukiko was ready to give the final verdict, Caterpie stood up and spat, "EEVEE, GET UP!" everyone staring while he added, "Look, I think I finally figured out what's going on!"

"The hell is he talking about?" Lugarugan uttered as the caterpillar continued, "Eevee, I could tell when I saw you beat Noivern that you're so much better than this, but right now, you're pathetic And honestly, I think I get it."

Eevee started to twitch while he sighed, "During that match, you didn't start to do really well until you took the time to follow Popplio's advice. And now that he's not even here in person to give you moral support, you're not as confident. When you started the match, you had a great deal of spirit and as such, you were able to remember his advice. But admit it, once you took in that first hit from Lugarugan, you lost a great deal of that."

Many of the people nodded as this made some sense to them. However, Lugarugan gave the caterpillar an odd look, finding this to be one of the dumbest things he had ever heard in his life. If anything, it sounded more like a convenient excuse than a legit explanation.

"Look, Eevee," Caterpie stated, "Popplio may not be here right now, but he is watching you from the hospital and he'd be devastated if you lost this easily. But most of all, I'm here to cheer you on and right now, Chespin and Lycanroc are still unconscious. Wouldn't you want them to wake up in a place where everything they tried so hard to accomplish happened?"

Upon hearing this, the rest of the crowd cheered before chanting, "Eevee! Eevee!" Lugarugan rolling his eyes and sighing, "You guys are so predictable. Come on, announcer lady, do your job and announce already!"

Yukiko's eyes widened as she fidgeted with her mallet, uttering, "Yes, right, of course," but just as she was about to make Lugarugan's victory official, her eyes sparkled when Eevee flipped herself back to her feet as if all the pain dealt earlier meant nothing.

The crowd cheered wildly while Lugarugan's eyes widened. Soon, a look of irritation took over as he turned and spat, "ARE YOU SERIOUSLY TELLING ME THAT SPEECH TAKEN STRAIGHT OUT OF A SATURDAY MORNING CARTOON ACTUALLY WORKED!?"

Eevee took a deep breath and frowned before growling, "You may see that as hammy, but it's also true. I told myself I was ready for this match, but deep down, I wasn't. I felt that after my loss to Golisopod brought about by my own rash way of thinking, I would always need him around to give me advice, or at least until I was good enough. But right now, I just need to remember what I've learned from him so far. I got the advantage before and I can get it back."

"Well, then, why don't you prove it, you little rat!?" Lugarugan retorted before racing toward her with his claws at the ready.

But just as he was about to strike the fox, she saw an opening and knelt down, ramming her skull hard into his gut. This caused the wolf to stop dead in his tracks as she sent a barrage of punches into the same spot. And with Lugarugan distracted, she leapt up and latched her ankles to his neck, leaning backward and lifting him up for a frankensteiner.

The crowd went wild when Lugarugan's skull made contact, Eevee releasing her hold and performing a series of back flips toward the ropes, Yukiko exclaiming, "It really looked like Lugarugan was going to win, but after a good pep talk, Eevee gets the upper hand with a few good hits and a frankensteiner!"

Things only seemed to get better when Eevee's back hit the ropes, stretching them back as she rolled herself up like a ball. And just like when she used this on Noivern, she moved at an incredible speed and rammed into Lugarugan's gut just as he recovered, squealing, "FLYING FOX WHEEL!"

The crowd's cheers continued to get louder, Caterpie shouting, "That's more like it!" while Lugarugan coughed up blood of his own and fell hard on his back. His mouth twitched while his eyes remained at the same width.

"And with the move that defeated Noivern, Eevee more than makes up for all the pain dealt to her earlier," Yukiko stated with a big smile, "At this rate, she might win after all."

When Eevee backed away from Lugarugan, she had a light smile on her face as she breathed heavily. Without Popplio there to give her advice, she could not believe she had managed to pull that off and yet she had. But just as she started to calm down, her eyes widened when Lugarugan grumbled curses under his breath and pushed himself upright, climbing to his feet with fury in his eyes.

The crowd stared in disappointment. Just like Eevee, they had really hoped that would be enough. Now all they could do was trust Eevee to keep it up.

"Now I can see why that defeated Noivern," he grunted, "But this makes no sense! Why in the hell was that so powerful!? Hell, why are your other attacks so strong!? You're scrawny and you're so obviously a normal type!"

"Well, maybe you shouldn't underestimate someone based off of her appearance," Eevee retorted as she started to calm down again. What mattered right now was that not only was she still standing, but Lugarugan now saw her as a true threat.

All the while, Popplio clapped his flippers together and exclaimed, "TRES BIEN! Way to go, mon ami-" only to once again cover his mouth when a nurse walked by and shushed him.

While Eevee may have gotten the upper hand, though, she knew that she could not get carried away, not again. That was the reason she had always had a difficult time with her opponents, even when she faced Clawitzer on Hero Planet. She had come closer to failure than any of her friends and all because she was not thinking straight. The only reason she won was because of that one moment where she took the time to come up with a real strategy.

Lugarugan, meanwhile, could not allow her to come up with another countermeasure like that. As such, he once again went down on all fours and growled, "Stay down this time!"

Seeing this, Eevee squeaked in panic as he barked, "ACCELEROCK!" and raced toward her like a streak of lightning. The fox leapt to the side only for the wolf to stop abruptly and unleash a small shock wave that caused her to lose her balance and fall on her side.

Before she could attempt to get up, the wolf lifted her up by the tail and flung her into the turnbuckle, quipping, "That wheel attack of yours may pack a punch, but it's got nothing on my Accelerock. I've never really used it to end a match before, but I still consider it my best move. In fact, it might not be a bad idea to finish you off with this."

Eevee gritted her teeth and thought, 'Dammit, there has to be a way to avoid that,' only for Lugarugan to go down on all fours and set up for the move again.

"Well, folks, it would seem as if Lugarugan fully intends to end this match with his Accelerock, even if it means no longer using any of his other techniques," Yukiko stated, "Either this is the best strategy he could have come up with or the most foolish."

Unfortunately, Eevee and Caterpie could not help but think it could very well have been the former. After all, no one had figured out a way around this move. Popplio had managed to overpower it but strained himself doing so. And when Lycanroc attempted the same thing without expelling too much energy, she was unable to do it. To make matters worse, it was already perfectly clear that dodging the attack was not much better.

Even so, the fox had no time to think about this as Lugarugan raced toward her with a strong wind picking up in his path, shouting, "ACCELEROCK!"

Eevee panicked and leapt backward into the ropes, bouncing off and rolling up into a ball while squeaking, "FLYING FOX WHEEL!" As a result, both fighters collided and looked evenly matched.

Unfortunately, Eevee was not as physically strong as Lugarugan and as such, she did not last nearly as long before she was ultimately overpowered and sent careening back into the ropes. She rested her arms against them to stop herself from bouncing off, but she was still terrified out of her mind as her eyes widened.

However, Caterpie noticed something odd and pointed at Lugarugan, shouting, "Eevee, look!" the fox staring at the wolf in confusion. However, after a few seconds, she noticed what her friend meant as her eyes widened.

Sure enough, Lugarugan had a bit of blood coming from his nose as he blinked and uttered, "The hell are you looking at?" before wiping the area under that spot and holding his paw up in front of his face, his eyes and mouth wide with shock while even the audience could not believe it.

There was just no way. Despite Eevee's Flying Fox Wheel lacking the strength of Lycanroc's Wolf Bullet, she still managed to deal some damage with it despite the fact that Lugarugan felt no pain from it whatsoever. However, he soon took a deep breath and patted his cheeks, grumbling, "Don't get a swell head. A little nosebleed is nothing to someone as awesome as me."

He then grinned with pride while Eevee narrowed her eyelids and thought, 'Clearly it is. But still, he's right. I can't rely on that. Once he tries that move again, I'll need to think of something that really can work, but what?'

She would need to think fast, though, when Lugarugan went down on all fours once again, saying, "This one should end it for good. I'll admit, you improved a little bit, but if you honestly think you qualify as a hero, you should seriously consider a new career."

And with that, the wolf once again sped toward her while barking, "ACCELEROCK!" only for Eevee to finally see something she could do. And once he was close enough, she leapt onto the top rope and used it to propel herself high enough to avoid the shock wave when Lugarugan stopped dead in his tracks.

"What the-?" he uttered before looking up just in time for Eevee to descend toward him and plant her feet hard into his back. The crowd went wild as he yowled in pain and fell on his belly, Eevee jumping off of him and landing behind him. She then took full advantage of his current state and lifted him up by his hind legs, leaning backward and planting the back of his head into the canvas.

As she released her hold and allowed the rest of his body to collapse, he clutched onto the back of his head and rocked back and forth, growling, "YOU BITCH! OH GOD, THAT SMARTS!"

"And in a stunning turn of events, Eevee has managed to bypass Lugarugan's Accelerock!" Yukiko exclaimed with glee, "Let's see if the wolf can get the advantage back!"

Caterpie gave the fox a round of applause and whistled at her. All the while, Popplio nodded his head in approval and thought, 'Oui, that's more like it. I have no doubt that you can win this match.'

However, it was still far from over as Lugarugan rose to his feet and let out a loud howl toward the moon. He then cracked his backbone into place and glared at Eevee, growling, "Big friggen deal! So you managed to beat my Accelerock! Don't forget I have other moves, and I can easily beat you with any of them!"

While Eevee was feeling more confident, she found Lugarugan more intimidating than before. But even so, she could not let her guard down. She had gone this far and she just knew that if she kept at it, she would be the one to put him in his place.


	19. Chapter 19

While Eevee had finally found a way to counter Lugarugan's Accelerock, the match was still either one's game. After all, the wolf had superior speed and a variety of other techniques at his disposal. The fox would need to stay on her toes otherwise all of her efforts would have been pointless.

She certainly needed to act fast when Lugarugan raced toward her and aimed a knee kick toward her face. The fox backed away in time to avoid it only to receive a roundhouse to her side. And it got worse when the wolf sent his elbow into her face, the fox backing up while groaning in pain.

"You see that, people of Tokyo?" the wolf grunted, "That comeback earlier was nothing more than a fluke! Admittedly, it was a little rash for me to keep using the same move over and over again, but now that I'm not using it, you have nothing."

"Did you forget how I got the upper hand against you before?" Eevee retorted with a smirk as the wolf rushed at her and sent his right claws toward her forehead. However, she saw this coming and ducked down just in time, delivering a sweep kick to his ankles as he tripped and fell on his back.

"Yeah, keep it up!" Caterpie exclaimed while the audience cheered, the fox about to grab his legs again. However, the wolf refused to let her slam him as he regained just enough focus to reel his legs back before sending his feet into her chin.

While the fox backed away from him again, rubbing the very spot that had been struck, Lugarugan leapt to his feet and raced toward her with his arm out. She felt more than ready to dodge this only for the wolf to leap at her and plant his knee into her gut. This provided more than enough of a distraction for him to ram his arm into her neck, knocking her on her back.

He then proceeded to plant the claws on his feet into her gut as he growled, "Look, Eevee, don't think for a minute that your tricks are gonna work on me anymore! I won't let you get in another hit, and you wanna know why!? Because you have managed to royally piss me off!"

Eevee gave him a look of confusion as he grunted, "As I told you, Accelerock I consider to be my best move! You have no idea how much it hurts to have some punk ass weakling like you be the one to find a weakness for it! Not to mention you somehow survived multiple hits from it! Well, now you're gonna pay because I'm gonna have to finish you off with something else!"

The crowd gave Eevee words of encouragement while Caterpie tensed up. But at this point, it hardly made a difference as Lugarugan leapt high into the air and flipped over, aiming Eevee's skull toward the canvas and barking, "FULL MOON FLIP!"

Just as it looked like she would make contact, a thought suddenly occurred to her. As such, her eyes widened while she squeaked, "NO!" placing a firm grip against the wolf's ankles and using all her might to pry the claws out of her gut.

Lugarugan's eyes widened when he fell on his back, Eevee flipping herself ninety degrees just in time to avoid having her skull meet the same fate. Her back did take in a bit of pain, but it was nowhere near as bad as what would have happened if the move succeeded again.

The wolf pushed himself up and gritted his teeth, growling, "HOW IN THE HELL DO YOU KEEP SCREWING UP MY FINISHING MOVES!?" as Caterpie uttered, "Even I didn't think she could pull that off."

Eevee rose to her feet and breathed heavily, thinking, 'Though it pains me to admit it, Umbreon has always been better than me. Sorry, Popplio, but this time, I thought about what she would do in this situation. Even so, this is still far from over."

With that in mind, she waited for Lugarugan to charge at her again as she leapt to the side. Just as the wolf was about to counter with another roundhouse, the fox was ready this time, thus she swung her own leg sideways, blocking the attack. What shocked the wolf most of all was not even the countermeasure itself but how much it worked. As such, he found himself spellbound as Eevee took hold of his ankle and pulled on it, causing him to fall on his side.

The crowd cheered wildly while Eevee thought, 'Wait a minute,' remembering when Lycanroc had Lugarugan in a camel clutch. Despite his best efforts, he was unable to escape from it.

That gave the fox a great idea as she flipped him onto his belly and spread herself along his back. She then wrapped her arms around his chin and held tight, the cheers getting louder while Yukiko exclaimed, "Not only does Eevee stop an incoming roundhouse with one of her own, but she has also managed to catch Lugarugan in a submission hold! Let's see if he can get out of this!"

"Please, this is easy," Lugarugan grunted with a smirk as he shifted his body to the side. He was shocked when he found himself unable to do so and thus tried pushing his body. And yet despite his superior height, he could not shake Eevee off of him.

"But how?" he uttered as Eevee sighed, "For what it's worth, I'm not really doing anything special. This is a very simple hold. The real problem is that you're unable to break free from it, aren't you?"

The wolf's eyes widened while even the crowd was shocked by this. Caterpie tilted his head to the side and uttered, "Is that true?"

"It can't be!" Lugarugan grunted as Eevee remarked, "I actually wasn't completely sure about it myself. After all, Lycanroc is stronger than me. But the thing is, you looked completely helpless when she had you in that camel clutch, so much so that you had to resort to underhanded tactics to get out of it. If she hadn't released her hold on you, you would have had no choice but to give up right there."

As it so happened, the TV in the hospital room Lycanroc was placed in was currently on. And she had heard every words of this as her ear twitched, a light smile on her face. After all this time, someone had finally figured out Lugarugan's weakness, and it was partly thanks to her.

"But it's like you said!" Lugarugan protested while trying his best to struggle free, "As much as I hate to admit it, Lycanroc's stronger than me! That's the only reason I was unable to escape! I mean, that's gotta be it! There can't be another reason! Can there!?"

As soon as he asked that, his eyes widened as he remembered similar situations in his youth. Back when he was a pup, he used to be bullied at school all the time. And every time someone would force him into a tight hold, he always found himself unable to escape. The worst part of all was that while he eventually decided to fight back and become a bully himself, he had never taught himself to overcome that one weakness.

But despite this, there was no way he could allow himself to lose, not after coming so close. As such, he spread out his arms and planted his claws against the mat, slowly crawling toward the ropes. This only served to cause him more pain, but he ignored it as the crowd watched in silence, Yukiko uttering, "And in some desperate attempt to escape, Lugarugan is headed toward the ropes. If this was a normal match, touching the bottom rope would result in Eevee having to let go, but that's not the case here, so I can't help but wonder what he intends to do."

'You'll see soon enough,' Lugarugan thought with a smirk as he reached the ropes, placing a firm grip against the bottom one, 'I'll admit, Eevee, you have some creative tactics, but you're not the only one.'

As such, he pushed the rope back as far as he could, Eevee looking up while her eyes widened, Lugarugan saying, "Too late," and releasing his hold. As such, the rope snapped backward and smacked the fox hard between the eyes, causing her to release her hold on Lugarugan.

The wolf took full advantage of this and reached his arms back, using them to lock Eevee against his back. He then stood tall and proud, exclaiming, "You've been a real pain in the ass, but this ends here!" before leaping backward and barking, "FALLING WOLF ROCK!"

The crowd gasped when Eevee's back made contact with the mat. As if that was not enough, the added weight of Lugarugan pressing up against her only added to the pain as Caterpie gasped, "EEVEE!"

Popplio bit his lower lip and thought, 'You were so close. Come on, don't let this get you down.'

As the wolf rose to his feet and saw Eevee struggling to push herself up again, a grin formed while he said, "There we go. It took so much longer than it should have, but you're finally weak enough."

With that in mind, he raced toward the ropes and leapt sideways toward them. And as the material stretched back, he had a the biggest grin on his face and exclaimed, "I finished off your friends with this same move! I don't know why I thought you'd be worth something different!"

He then bounced off and spun sideways with his claws spread out, shouting, "WOLF BARREL!" as Eevee attempted to get up only to panic and duck down. As a result, Lugarugan continued to fly forward and uttered, "Wait, what?"

Before he could stop himself, he soon wound up making contact with the ropes as his claws slashed them open, the wolf losing his balance and falling on his side. The crowd stared in stunned silence while he rose up and planted his paws against the side of the ring, climbed back in and grunted, "How the hell did you do that!?"

"I just lay down," Eevee uttered, "It wasn't that hard," Lugarugan's jaw dropped while his eyes widened and twitched. However, his frustration would only increase further when the fox added, "I actually wasn't sure if that would work, to be honest. I figured if anything, you'd shift your aim downward and take advantage of me. I just didn't have the strength to do anything else."

The entire area went silent until Caterpie uttered, "So that was a complete accident," before clapping and exclaiming, "Whatever! Look at that! You've found a way to avoid every single one of his main finishing moves!"

Eevee's eyes sparkled as Lugarugan tensed up and fumed, growling, "NO!" He then raced toward her as she was unable to respond in time to avoid a hard punch to the face. And it did not end there as the wolf rested his arms under her shoulders and uttered, "Alright, this is fine. I'll just enhance another one of Lycanroc's moves, like that Midnight Suplex of hers. I always thought that move was pretty cool."

The crowd prayed that Eevee could find a way around this while Lycanroc leapt up into the air. However, once they were three stories off the mat, Eevee noticed something off about his own version as she smirked and wriggled her arms free from his grasp. As such, he blinked and gasped, "HOW!?"

The fox ignored him while thinking, 'Alright, Eevee, you have five seconds to think of a move that can really finish him off,' her eyes widening as her mind added, 'That's it!'

And just as the two were about to descend, Eevee wrapped her arms and legs around the wolf's torso, barely managing to bind his legs with her tail. Had they not been so skinny, this could not have worked, but right now, the fox refused to dwell on this as she flipped herself and the wolf one hundred and eighty degrees.

While the two descended, the fox spun like a twister as a harsh wind picked up around them both. Lugarugan tried his hardest to free himself, but just like before, Eevee had him in a tight hold and to make matters worse for him, there was nothing he could use to free himself. There was no doubt about this. This match would be over in a few seconds.

"By the way," Eevee explained with a smile, "The reason I escaped from your version of the suplex is because your paws aren't big enough to make it work."

The wolf had a look of shame on his face as his skull made contact with the canvas, Eevee shouting, "BINDING FOX TWISTER!"

The area went silent when Lugarugan coughed up one last bit of blood. His eyes rolled to the back of his head as Eevee released her hold and leapt away from him, breathing heavily while he lay there with his head tilted sideways and his tongue sticking out. Everyone stared for half-a-minute just to make sure they were not imagining this.

Once the thirty seconds were up, Yukiko beamed and rang the bell, exclaiming, "And after the longest and most intense match witnessed within these last few days, Eevee has won and thus Tokyo is safe!"

The crowd's shock soon turned to relief as Caterpie started to clap slowly, everyone else soon joining him. And it was not long until that slow clap grew into a huge round of applause, the area erupting with cheers. Despite everything going against Eevee for most of the match, she still came out on top.

As such, a big smile of her own formed on her face as she rose her arms in the air, thinking, 'Yes! Now I know for sure that I really am worthy of the Chimlin name.'

Popplio let down light tears and wiped them before saying, "Bon travail, mon ami. Bon travail," Chespin's eyes opening as he groaned, "Ow, my head," rubbing his skull and sitting upright.

He then looked around and noticed he was in the hospital before whimpering, "Aw, man! Please tell me the others did a good job!" as Popplio nodded and replied, "Oui. Eevee just defeated Lugarugan."

Chespin stared at him with shock, a big smile forming only for Popplio to shush him, saying, "You're in a hospital, remember?" the chipmunk nodding and saying in a more quiet tone, "Way to go, Eevee."

And while Lycanroc was still asleep, she could hear the announcement as a smile formed on her face. She would have to thank Eevee for putting Lugarugan in his place later when she could open her eyes and speak again. Needless to say, she looked forward to helping her new friends out when the next threat emerged.

It was not long until authorities raced into the area and handcuffed Lugarugan, Caterpie entering the ring and saying, "Wow, that was so cool. Just you wait. One of these days, I'll get another chance and I'll kick ass just like you," Eevee grinning nervously and sighing, "Well, it still feels like a miracle."

"By the way, how did you come up with that move?" the caterpillar asked, "I know the Flying Fox Wheel was based off of your mom's best move, but what about this one?"

Eevee nodded and explained, "See, I based this off of another family move, specifically the one used by Grandma Leafeon. Though she had a much longer, leaf-like tail to make binding the legs in place easier, plus it also involved her conjuring up leaves to go along with the twister."

"Well, whatever the case, that was awesome!" Caterpie exclaimed as Lugarugan slowly opened his eyes, everyone gasping.

"Relax," he grunted as he shifted his arms and sighed, "I can already tell there's no point in struggling. Not even I can overpower handcuffs."

Eevee and Caterpie sighed with relief before he smirked and said, "I gotta hand it to you, kid. You're pretty damn badass for someone so small. But, you know, if I hadn't screwed up back there, you'd totally be my bitch."

Caterpie narrowed his eyelids and sighed, "He had to add that last part, didn't he?" as the wolf continued, "Anyway, I'll never forgive Lycanroc for what she did, but at least she seems to be happy here, so I guess that cheating wench got what she wanted. I hope she's happy."

"You done?" the officer asked as he nodded and sighed, "Yeah, yeah. I'd better get a good cell, at least," thus he was dragged toward a prison ship to be sent to Hero Planet.

Eevee let out a sigh and said, "Well, I guess deep down, he really did care a little bit about her," Caterpie sighing, "Yeah, but he was still an ass."

With all said and done, everyone was ready to head home for a good night's sleep knowing that Tokyo was once again safe. After all, it was currently two-thirty in the morning and some of these people had to go to work.

When Eevee headed by Caterpie's mansion, he gave her a bow and said, "See you tomorrow, Eevee," the fox nodding and replying, "Yeah, hopefully the others will be up. It would be nice for them to join us. But if they're not, we can always visit them at the hospital."

"Yeah," Caterpie replied with a big smile, "I can't wait to see the look on Lycanroc's face when she hears the good news."

And so, the caterpillar entered his mansion while Eevee headed home. And when she arrived, she lay down in her bed and let out a big yawn, looking at a photo of her mother playing with her and Umbreon and sighing, "I wish you could have seen me today."

She then covered her face with her pillow and squealed happily. While she knew how serious her job was, she could not help but feel extremely happy after all that she had done. She still had a way to go, but there was no doubt that she had taken major strides toward her goal. And while this no longer mattered to her, it would have been amazing if she could upstage Umbreon one day.

The following morning, Eevee woke up at around ten when her phone started to ring. She answered it without looking at the number and uttered, "Hello?"

After a few seconds, she smiled and said, "Good morning, Popplio. Did you see me last night?"

"Oui," the seal replied with a grin, "I am very proud of you. Oh, I got some good news. My tail is in perfect condition, so I can leave today."

"That's wonderful," Eevee replied as the seal asked her to stay on the line. She agreed but looked confused. But after a few seconds, her eyes widened while stars formed in them, a big smile on her face.

"Hey, Chespin!" she squealed, "So nice to hear you up and about," the chipmunk replying, "Yeah. When I heard you were the one to beat Lugarugan, I couldn't believe my ears, and it's still hard to process. But seriously, good job."

The two continued their conversation for a while until Eevee uttered, "By the way, you are aware of the fact that Lycanroc is with us now, right?"

The chipmunk nodded and sighed, "I heard about how Lugarugan was using her and how she's been through a lot. Don't worry, I'm not butthurt over my loss to her. When I see her again, I'll let her know that I'm okay with her being a member of our group, okay?"

There was a hint of uncertainty in his tone, but Eevee did not seem to notice as she breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Thank goodness. I thought there might be some friction between the two of you."

She then suggested that the entire group meet up later to which both Popplio and Chespin were more than happy. Though they were uncertain of whether or not Caterpie would agree to their location of choice, especially since he had his fancy mansion, but after everything that happened, they felt like they had at least earned the right to celebrate.

At around noon, Eevee waited by the Tokyo Day Club when she spotted Popplio and Chespin approaching. When they both spotted the fox happily waving at them, they returned the gesture and sped over to her. Needless to say, Popplio could not resist giving his friend a hug as she patted him on the back.

"It's good to see you up and about again," Eevee said as Popplio sighed, "Come on, I was only in that hospital for a little more than a day. You act as if I'd been in a coma or something."

Both then shared a good laugh while Chespin smiled and thought, 'Yeah, I definitely made the right call. Sorry, Tsareena, but you were bad company.'

"So, is the chairman's son going to join us?" Popplio sighed Eevee replying, "I dunno. I sent him a text, but he hasn't-"

However, she was shocked when she saw a limo pull up. And sure enough, Caterpie emerged with Lycanroc by his side, though the wolf currently had a sling on her arm and a bandage around her head. Needless to say, she had to be careful when exiting the vehicle, but Caterpie stayed by her side to make sure she did not hurt herself.

"Hey, guys," the caterpillar said with a smile, "Sorry I'm a little late. I would have been here sooner, but Lycanroc called me up and told me she was okay to exit the hospital. I couldn't leave her out."

Eevee beamed bright and said, "Well, I'm just super happy that we can all be here."

Lycanroc nodded and thought, 'Wow, I'm hanging out with friends at a club. The closest I ever got to that was meeting up with the others to plot revenge on mankind. This is the happiest day of my life.'

"So, is there a reason you specifically wanted to celebrate our big victory here?" Caterpie asked while scratching the side of his head, "You know my servants could have made you a five-star meal," only for Popplio to sigh, "There's just something special about going out for a change. This isn't exactly high-art like your lifestyle, but-"

"Yeah, yeah, say no more," the caterpillar replied with a shrug as Lycanroc chuckled and said, "Honestly, I'm happy with this arrangement," before noticing Chespin and giving him a nervous grin and a light wave with her fingers.

The chipmunk looked up at her and said, "Hey," with a light smile on his face. But while this was smaller than his usual smile, no one seemed to notice and thus Lycanroc's mind was at ease.

Soon enough, everyone was seated at a table with drinks in front of them. Caterpie looked around and said, "You know what? I think I get it now."

Popplio rose an eyebrow while he added, "Instead of servants here, there are just normal everyday people we can just hang out with. And the atmosphere is simple but effective. I gotta start coming here more often."

Eevee and Popplio grinned at one-another while Lycanroc took a sip of a cocktail. Her eyes sparkled as she sighed, "And to think this is free."

"Hey, it's the least I can do," the owner replied when he walked by with a warm smile, "You all did an amazing thing for Tokyo. And Lycanroc, just know that you'll always be welcome here."

Lycanroc's eyes sparkled when she heard this, many other guests inviting her to hang out with them. A part of her still felt like she did not deserve any of this, but who was she to turn it down after waiting her whole life for it? And soon enough, she was joining the others in billiards and even tried her hand at the karaoke machine, proving herself to be a decent singer.

Seeing all of this, Eevee let out a sigh and said, "You'll never be shunned by society again, Lycanroc. Welcome to your new home."


	20. Chapter 20

Note: While I'm sure this might be obvious to a lot of you, Snowshrew is the name I decided to give Alolan Sandshrew.

It had been a whole month since the first string of students had graduated from Hero School. As such, they were required to return to the planet and come to a secluded area to show off their skills against other graduates. But since the building could only fit five rings without taking up too much space, only a maximum of ten students could come at a time every hour. As a result, these exercises went on for a couple of days.

Currently, Eevee, Popplio and Caterpie were in one ring each. Eevee's opponent was a light-blue pangolin with a head shaped like an igloo named Snowshrew. Popplio was up against a grayish-green dragon with tusks on the sides of her mouth named Axew. And finally, Caterpie was currently facing an orange otter with a floatation ring around his neck and two tails named Buizel.

"GUILLOTINE JAW!" Axew exclaimed as she raced toward Popplio's side with her left mouth blade at the ready. However, the seal easily saw this coming and swung his tail into her face right before she could make contact.

This left her dazed while he wrapped his arms around her and curled his tail like a spring. He then bounced into the air and leaned backward before barking, "TRAMPOLINE SUPLEX!" planting the back of the dragon's head into the turnbuckle.

The seal rose his flippers in the air as Jackalu and Clawitzer sat before the rings and took notes. The dog grinned and said, "Well, Popplio's got some major skills," Clawitzer adding, "And it seems you may have been right about Eevee."

Eevee was currently delivering a series of palm punches to Snowshrew's face while he backed away from her. He then threw a punch forward only for he fox to leap to the right and send a roundhouse into his side.

Afterwards, she could see him start to falter as she smirked and thought, 'Perfect,' before performing a series of back flips toward the ropes. Once her back made contact, the material stretched out a bit, the fox bouncing off and rolling up into a ball.

Jackalu and Clawitzer stared in wonder while the pistol shrimp said, "Impressive. That's very similar to her mother's best move."

"FLYING FOX WHEEL!" Eevee squealed as Snowshrew saw this coming and leapt to the side just in time to avoid the move. And when the fox bounced off the other set of ropes, the pangolin tucked himself into a ball and rolled toward her, shouting, "ATLANTIC BOULDER!"

To make matters worse, the rebound had caused Eevee to lose focus as she dropped her ball-like state. And sure enough, she took Snowshrew's attack to her back as her eyes and mouth widened, the fox falling flat on her face. And all it took was for her to remain in that position for ten seconds for her loss to be made official.

She slowly recovered when Snowshrew approached her and held out his hand, saying, "Hey, that was a great match," the fox staring up at him briefly before smiling and nodding her head. She then took his hand as he helped her up, Clawitzer sighing, "That's a shame. She was actually doing really good."

"Yeah, she was, wasn't she?" Jackalu replied with a grin as the shrimp blinked and shrugged her shoulders, saying, "Yes, I guess in a way, your prediction for her did come true."

But while Eevee had at least performed well, the same could not be said for Caterpie. He continued to fire his string toward Buizel only for him to easily dodge each attempt with a grin on his face.

"Quit hopping around!" Caterpie cried as he started to slow down, the otter seeing a perfect opportunity. Thus he leapt toward the caterpillar and swung his tails hard into his cheek. As if the strike from both was not bad enough, the attack had also built up a great deal of wind, Buizel exclaiming, "SONIC WHIP!"

With that, Caterpie fell on his side and was unable to get up for ten seconds. Thus Buizel's victory was confirmed as he rose his arms in the air, shouting, "ALRIGHT! I BEAT THE CHAIRMAN'S SON!"

Jackalu and Clawitzer turned to this match before the shrimp sighed, "Speaking of fighters who need work, I still think Metapod made a mistake. It's a damn good thing there's two others helping them out, because that was just pathetic."

Caterpie let out a sigh and exited the ring as it turned out Metapod had been watching in the back. He then approached his son while Jackalu and Clawitzer stared wide-eyed, the shrimp whispering, "How long has he been here?" the dog shrugging and replying, "It is part of his job to attend this, so I guess it's a good thing he showed up."

The caterpillar's eyes widened as he uttered, "Uh, Dad, about that-" only for the chrysalis to give him a tight embrace and exclaim, "That was a good performance, my boy! Losing on purpose to make the competition look good but still looking like you were trying to beat him! I am so proud of you!"

Caterpie blinked and rubbed the back of his head, uttering, "Oh, yeah, of course," before thinking, 'Was that what I did? Dad tells me I'm a born natural, so maybe I did that without even realizing it.'

That made him feel more confident as Eevee walked over to Popplio and sighed, "I got carried away again," looking down only for the seal to pat her on the shoulder and reply, "Don't let it get to you. You actually came really close. A couple more hits, and he definitely would have fallen victim to that."

The fox smiled and nodded before Caterpie joined them and said, "Alright, let us head back to Earth and reunite with our friends!"

"You're taking this rather well," Eevee uttered as he nodded and replied, "But of course. I was only fighting a fellow hero, so I held back. Once I get in a fight with a villain on Earth again, I'll do a much better job."

'What match were you watching?' Eevee and Popplio thought at the same time as soon enough, the other two matches came to a close.

As it so happened, Umbreon and Crabrawler were among the next ten to enter, the black fox giving her younger sister a quick glance. Eevee responded with a cold stare as Popplio bit his lower lip and dragged her along.

"If you don't mind me asking, why are you mean to her?" Crabrawler asked while rubbing his head, Umbreon sighing, "I do mind you asking, thank you very much," the crab tensing up and uttering, "Okay, never mind. I'll just focus on the test."

"Dammit," Eevee growled as Caterpie gave her a look of confusion, the seal reassuring him that it was better not to get involved with this. After all, to fully explain Eevee's rivalry with her older sister would only sour this day further.

And while Umbreon and Crabrawler fought a nepenthes plant named Victreebel and a moth named Dustox respectively, Eevee noticed many new students taking their final exam. One in particular she was focused on was what appeared to be a hybrid of a shrew and an echidna named Cyndaquil. She was currently up against a robin named Fletchinder and was not doing a particularly good job.

Popplio turned to Eevee and asked, "You coming?" as the fox nodded and said, "In a bit. I just wanna see how Cyndaquil does this time."

Caterpie blinked as the seal nodded and stated, "Oui, you two went to school together back in the day," Eevee nodding.

She remembered how the shrew was among the students who failed the first semester when she fought a thin man with a bird mask named Nuzleaf. Despite her best efforts, she went down to his Leaf Propeller, which, as the name implied, involved him spinning a leaf atop his head like a blade.

The shrew took in a fierce blow to her gut when Fletchinder engulfed herself in flames and rammed her beak into that very spot, shouting, "FLAME MISSILE!"

However, Cyndaquil did her best to ignore the pain as she rammed her stubby hands into the robin's skull, forcing her to back up a bit. The shrew then leapt backward toward the ropes and bounced off, rolling up into a ball while smoke poured out of red dot-like formations on her back. Thus she rammed into the robin's gut and squeaked, "FLAME WHEEL!" dealing just enough damage to take her down.

Eevee smiled and said, "Well, looks like she graduated," before heading off with the others. Though Caterpie could not help but wonder why an attack that produced smoke would be called Flame Wheel.

And at that moment, Umbreon defeated Victreebel with incredible ease thanks to her Full Moon Crash. Crabrawler, all the while, just barely managed a win over Dustox when he leapt into the air and wrapped his arms around her, resting her up against his shoulder and leaning backward. He then planted her skull into the canvas and exclaimed, "HALF-MOON PRESS!"

The fox nodded her head to him as he let out a sigh, wishing he had done a better job. Even so, his cheeks turned bright red when Jackalu gave him a round of applause, shouting, "Good show, my boy!" only for Clawitzer to sigh, "You know how much that embarrasses him!"

And with all said and done, Eevee and her friends boarded a shuttle that was set to take them back to Tokyo. While only one of them had won his match today, they still felt ready for whatever threat would emerge later.

Meanwhile, in Maui, Mapin was currently locked in combat with Tapu Koko in a cave. The rooster had his hands up while the girl's family power had activated. Thus she sent a barrage of rapid punches toward him, barking, "MACH GATLING!"

Koko managed to easily block most of the punches until Mapin noticed a blind spot. As such, she sent one last punch hard into his forehead as he backed up and rubbed the spot. He had to admit, in her powered up state, she was really strong.

And of course, Mapin took full advantage of this as she raced toward him and rammed three of her elbows into his gut. She then grabbed onto one of his spines and threw him downward, slamming his back into the ground.

Three others were currently watching the fight with much interest. Two of them were much younger than Koko but had the same kind of skin.

One was a slender girl with red hair that curled upward on the ends of each side. She had two long bangs on the front-most sides and pink eyebrows. She had a white ring around her midsection that resembled a tube top and pink bracelets similar to Koko's neck ring. Her lower body was covered up with a large pink shell with a red diamond painted on the side and two white diamonds joined in the middle near the top. The cone-shaped top portion of the shell also rested atop her head as the only part of her lower body that could be seen was a small bit of flesh shaped more like a wheel than a foot. Her name was Lele.

The second had an upper body similar to a bull's head while his lower body was more like a genie's tail. The black horns atop his head resembled curved pencils, and both were held in place by what appeared to be a sombrero made of wood. He had white markings along his chest and cheeks and two red rings around his shoulders. He also had a white ring-like marking under his nose that resembled a nose ring. His hooves were covered in solid gold and his tail, save for the bottom, was covered by the outer layer of a bell. He was known as Bulu.

The last one, the only one who was close to Koko's age, was a mermaid who seemed to be permanently bound to a purple oyster shell with a dorsal fin and a spike on top, making it look more like a dolphin's head. She had a white T-shaped marking between her eyes and blue eyebrows that resembled clam shells. Her hands were webbed and had greyish-purple claws on the end and she had long blue hair that curved sideways, the ends resembling scuba flippers. She had purple rings on her shoulders that were bigger than those of the others, making them look like life preservers. With a white V on her chest, she was Koko's wife, Fini.

Lele blinked and said, "Wow, she might actually beat Dad today," Fini sighing, "Just watch. It will not last."

"Are you kidding!?" Bulu spat, his eyes sparkling, "That power of hers is so awesome!"

But just as Mapin was about to ram her elbows into Koko's gut like she had done to Tsareena, the rooster made a quick recovery and noticed her power fade. With that in mind, he sent his arms upward and pinched two of the incoming parts with his beak-like hands. The girl's eyes widened as this managed to stop her descent, thus Koko hurled her backwards into the wall.

Before she could recover, the rooster pressed his mask halves together to form a large bird head around his upper half. He then raced toward her as lightning surrounded him, shouting, "WILD CHARGE!" and ramming the full beak into Mapin's gut.

This caused her to cough up blood while electricity ran down her spine. And with that, she fell to her knees as Koko returned to his normal state and sighed, "You're getting a lot better, but you still have a long way to go."

"I don't get it!" Mapin grunted while slamming three of her fists into the wall behind her, "I've been training so hard and yet I still can't beat you, your wife or your kids!"

Bulu nodded with a proud smile with his hooves against his hips and said, "Oh yeah, beating you last week was sweet. And that was my first fight."

Mapin groaned as she remembered how he rammed his horns into her while magically covering her chest in tribal markings, calling his attack Artist's Stampede. And she also remembered two weeks ago when Lele defeated her by forming a pink transparent boulder around herself and ramming into her, dubbing the move Moonblast.

Fini smiled delicately and said, "Oh yes, my victory over you felt pretty satisfying as well," as she remembered how three weeks ago, she pierced the spike on her shell into Mapin's belly and barked, "NARWHAL JAB!"

Mapin gritted her teeth and snapped, "WELL, YOU TRY SPENDING A DAY IN MY SHOES!" all three kids gasping before she growled, "You have no idea how annoying this is! I'm the daughter of the world champion, and yet so far, the only opponent I have ever defeated was an old turtle on Hero Planet! I'm starting to think maybe I'm a lost cause!"

Lele let down light tears and sniffed, "Now I feel bad. You think I should have let her win?" as Koko rested a hand on the girl's shoulder and sighed, "No, you did the right thing doing your best. Look, Mapin, you have a great deal of potential within you. Don't sell yourself too short."

Mapin stared at him with uncertainty while he added, "Look, I have been bottling up some information for this month. I was kind of hoping you would catch on, but I guess I may as well explain why it is that you keep losing against those with higher strength than the instructors on Hero Planet."

He then turned to his kids and asked, "Could we have a moment?" as Fini shrugged and said, "Alright, kids, you heard him."

"Aw, I wanted to see them argue!" Bulu grumbled while all three headed outside the cave, Mapin hoping that whatever Koko told her could help.

"So what's my problem?" she asked, the rooster sighing, "Look, Mapin, while your strength is superior to that of all of us, it means nothing when you don't think during combat. The reason you've been losing since you came to Earth is because you're rash. You don't think before taking action, and as a result, that power of yours is the only way you can ever hope to get the advantage against an opponent. And, well, since it doesn't last that long, it's not as helpful as it should be, is it?"

Mapin frowned and grunted, "So you're saying that if I can master my power-" Koko retorting, "No! Don't even think about trying to pull that off! That is nothing more than a distraction from the real issue at hand!"

Mapin stared wide-eyed as he sighed, "Sorry, I don't normally raise my voice," before adding, "You seem to be avoiding the main issue. If you can learn to think logically during a fight and strategize, you can be a true winner. Therefor, we will spend the next five months working on that."

"Five months!?" Mapin retorted, "That's insane! I mean, it's bad enough I've been gone for one! What if my friends-"

Koko let out a sigh and said, "I've been concealing another piece of information from you. See, three weeks ago, I received a newspaper with this headline," pulling the front page of the paper out of a drawer and handing it to the girl.

Her eyes widened as she could not believe what it said. It told of how Eevee and Popplio had three new allies to help them out.

"As you can see, they don't need you," Koko stated as Mapin frowned at the ad. This did not make her feel relieved at all. If anything, it made her mad, but she did her best to hide it from Koko while she nodded and said, "Right. I'll do my best."

The rooster smiled and said, "Excellent," before walking outside with her and seeing Fini and the kids playing by the beach.

All three noticed the two as Lele asked, "Is everything okay now?" Mapin nodding and sighing, "Sorry I snapped at all of you. I realize what I need to do now."

Fini smiled while Bulu had a look of excitement. Mapin was determined to become strong so she would be worthy of rejoining the group. There was no doubt in her mind that she could pull it off.

Later in Tokyo, Eevee and the others had returned and arranged a get-together at the club. Chespin still looked a touch uncomfortable around Lycanroc but tried not to make a big deal out of it and asked, "So, how'd you guys do? You kick ass and take names and all that stuff?"

Popplio grinned and replied, "Oui," as Eevee sighed, "Well, he did."

Lycanroc blinked and asked, "Wait, you lost?" the fox nodding and replying, "Yeah, but I came really close. I kinda screwed myself over at the end, though."

Caterpie, however, did not look the least bit bothered as Chespin uttered, "And I assume you did a really good job, too?" the caterpillar remarking, "Nah. I let my opponent win because I figured it would be unfair, what with him going up against me, the chairman's son."

'Is that what that was?' Popplio thought with his eyelids lowered, Lycanroc beaming and replying, "Well, that's very sweet of you."

The caterpillar nodded, still wondering if he had really done that, though. His whole life, he had believed everything that his father told him, no matter how little sense it made, and yet for the first time, he was conflicted. But even so, now was a fun time with friends and he would dare not ruin that because of his own personal issues.

Either way, all five heroes were more than determined to be prepared when the next villain showed up. And during all of this, Mapin would try her absolute hardest to overcome her biggest weakness. Once she did that, she would finally be ready to return to the group and help them out.


	21. Chapter 21

A week passed since Eevee and the others went to Hero Planet to be tested, and surprisingly, things had been very peaceful. It seemed as if Lugarugan was the last one to be interested in Tokyo for a while. But despite this, the heroes still spent at least an hour each day preparing for when their services would be needed again.

This very day, though, they decided to take a break and just look around Tokyo as Eevee asked, "So, anything in particular you guys wanna do?"

"Well, there's always the club," Caterpie replied with a shrug, Lycanroc smiling and replying, "That would be fun."

"I think what Eevee's saying is that we tend to go there too often," Popplio replied, "And honestly, as much as I like that place, a little variety would be nice," the fox beaming as he added, "How about some time at the local pool?"

Eevee narrowed her eyelids and remarked, "I've never been fond of swimming," Chespin suggesting, "How about we go to the mall?"

The others turned to him before he added, "Think about it. While it's okay for us to be in the nude, you know, since we got nothing to hide, our predecessors used to wear clothes on casual days. Maybe we can pick out some clothing to try out, eh?"

Eevee blinked and asked, "They did?" as Caterpie replied, "Well, I already have my fancy suits, but a little casual wear would be nice."

Lycanroc's eyes sparkled while she gasped, "I've always wondered what a T-shirt would feel like."

"So is this really a common thing?" Popplio uttered, "My family's never worn clothes before," as Chespin nodded and replied, "Yeah. Sometimes on casual days, my dad would take off his shell and wear a T-shirt, pants and a hat."

"I just don't know about this," Eevee remarked, "It seems unnecessary. I sometimes rent outfits for my entrances, but that's pretty much it."

Popplio shrugged and replied, "Well, I probably won't buy any shirts myself, but hey, if it gives us something to do, I'm up for it."

Soon enough, the group arrived at the nearest mall they could find. But while they walked around, looking for a clothing store, Eevee spotted so many other places she would have loved to check out. As such, her eyes sparkled as she squealed, "Wow, there's so many things to do here! We could buy video games or comic books or movies or bracelets or-"

"Calm down," Popplio uttered while he rubbed her shoulders, "You act like you've never been to a mall before," the fox biting her lower lip and tensing up.

"Wait, have you actually never been to a shopping mall?" Chespin uttered before Lycanroc nodded and replied, "Even I've been to one before. I was always by myself and I'd only go to use my allowance to buy my family Christmas presents, but still."

Eevee let out a sigh and groaned, "Well, whenever Mommy would go to the mall, she never brought us with her. Umbreon and I would ask Daddy to take us every now and then, but he figured that if Mommy wouldn't take us, then he wouldn't either."

"Wow, I don't know whether to feel sorry for you or not," Chespin uttered as Popplio asked, "But why? What's so bad about the mall?"

"I just figured she was trying to protect us," Eevee replied with a shrug, "After all, you're much more likely to run into a robber at the mall than, say, a super market."

"Not really," Chespin replied, "Robbers tend to treat all successful stores equally," Lycanroc shrugging and replying, "Well, either way, I think we should make Eevee's first time super special. Let's do more than just buy clothes."

Caterpie smiled and replied, "That's a great idea, and since Dad sends me more money than he sends you guys, I'll pay for everything."

The others did find that to be a tad boastful, but it was also generous of him. As such, they all agreed that this would certainly make for a good, memorable day out.

During this time, a big ship docked at Tokyo Bay. Four strangers wearing heavy coats emerged as the captain asked, "Are you sure those aren't a little excessive? I mean, it's supposed to be warm today."

"Thank you for your concern," a tall one with a tender feminine voice replied, "But we'll be perfectly fine," handing the man some money and adding, "All that matters is that we get our very important business done as soon as possible."

A big bulky one nodded and said, "Yeah, thanks for the safe trip and all that," the captain shrugging and replying, "Well, you said it was of most urgency, but wouldn't it have been easier to take a plane?"

"Not when one of us is scared of heights," remarked a slightly shorter one as a stranger with a more normal build whimpered, "I'm sorry, guys, but it's terrifying. Haven't any of you fallen down a waterfall before?"

The captain seemed confused by these words until the bulky one uttered, "Niagara Falls incident. We prefer not to talk about it," the man nodding and saying, "Well, good luck."

With that, the four strangers carried on as the tall female sighed, "You numbskull. Don't you know people falling down waterfalls isn't a common occurrence?" the more normal stranger whimpering, "But it's true! That waterfall scarred me for life!"

"Would you guys shut up?" the bulky stranger retorted before reaching under his coat and pulling out a rather big jar of sand. He then opened up the lid and asked, "So, you're saying there's a museum here that has exactly what we're looking for."

"Exactly," came a Jamaican-sounding voice from the jar, "Once we get this item, this world will be ours for the taking. We're plenty strong now, but imagine having the greatest warriors of all time on our side."

During this time, Eevee and the others had tried out a variety of activities. They went to an electronics store and, with Caterpie's help, were able to afford a number of things they could only dream of owning, such as MP3 players, headphones and even a few movies. After that, they had lunch at the food court. Sure, this was nowhere near as extravagant as what the caterpillar was used to, but it was still nice just to go out and eat with friends.

They tried out a variety of other places, only purchasing things in a few of them before finally coming to the clothing store. Eevee had a wide grin on her face as she squealed, "Thank you so much, Caterpie!"

"I have to admit, this has been a lot of fun," Chespin added before patting the caterpillar on the back, "Though I hope you're not spending too much on us. I'd feel a little guilty if that was the case."

Lycanroc blushed bright and murmured, "Oh no, I didn't even consider that," only for Caterpie to laugh and reply, "Please, nothing is too good for my best friends in the whole world. I mean, you're technically my only friends, but still."

"Speaking of which, have you heard from the others lately?" Popplio asked Lycanroc as she nodded and replied, "Oh yeah, they've been updating their Facebook pages a lot. It's just like we figured. The only reason people back in Edmonton avoided us was because of Lugarugan. Now that they no longer associate themselves with him, they've been making lots of friends and have also become official heroes, which is good because for some reason, they only assigned one to protect the city."

The others stared awkwardly as even they could not help but find that odd. But either way, their main focus was on clothes shopping and that was the last thing they would do before heading back home.

As they walked around, Lycanroc spotted many black T-shirts, one with a skull especially catching her interest. She held it up in front of herself and called Caterpie over to tell her what he thought of it. He then noticed something else on display nearby, specifically a pair of matching fingerless gloves and picked them up, showing them to her. Needless to say, she loved them.

Chespin, meanwhile, looked through a few clothes himself while he said, "Dammit, everything I want is too big for me," before noticing a red T-shirt that was exactly his size and uttering, "Never mind."

Eevee and Popplio watched them while the seal smiled and said, "Good to know they're having fun," as he turned to Eevee and noticed her eyes sparkling at the sight of a blue shirt with a picture of a lightning bolt on it and a pair of dark-blue shorts.

The seal smirked and said, "You should get those," the fox sighing, "Yeah, you're right. I should."

Popplio chuckled as she immediately picked them up and went to a change room to try them on. And when she emerged, the seal grinned and said, "Tres magnifique," the fox smiling wide and squealing, "Naturally!"

And as they were headed to the counter, the seal said, "By the way, I couldn't help but notice during sparring today that you have once again gotten a lot better."

"Really?" Eevee squeaked as he nodded and replied, "Oui. You actually managed to dodge almost everything I threw at you. I'd say the next time a villain shows up, it might not be as difficult for you to win as it usually is."

Once they were at the counter, Caterpie smiled and said, "Well, look at that. Guess you're not above clothes shopping after all," as Eevee sighed, "Yeah, yeah. Just pay for them already," as she allowed the cashier to scan them while she still had them on.

Lycanroc grinned and said, "If it means anything, I think you look awesome," Chespin nodding before she added, "And I love that red shirt you've picked out! With your green hood, you'll be like a little Christmas tree!"

The chipmunk's face turned beet red while he thought, 'Oh my god, why did you have to say that!?' however, he refused to stir up drama and uttered, "Yeah, that was the idea," laughing nervously.

Once the transaction was done, Caterpie beamed and said, "Well, this was a fun day. Anyway, we best head on home. Lycanroc's gonna get in some training and I'm gonna supervise."

"Shouldn't you be training too?" Eevee remarked as the caterpillar shrugged and replied, "I would, but my dad keeps telling me I don't need to, that amazing power is in my genes, you know? If that's true, then I may as well relax, right?"

The others lowered their eyelids save for Lycanroc who grinned and said, "Yeah, I'm sure that if he fought someone by himself, he'd be amazing. I mean, the fact that you have string that can trap an opponent is impressive."

"Damn right it is," the caterpillar replied as the others gave Lycanroc an odd look. They could not tell if she was being serious or if she was just being polite. After all, Caterpie had not only shown her the light but had even given her a nice home.

While this went on, the strangers from the bay arrived at the Tokyo National Museum. The bulky one held up the jar of sand and opened the lid, saying, "So you're sure this is the one."

"Yes," the sand replied, "It definitely is. This particular exhibit will be heavily guarded, so you may have to fight for it."

"Wait, what?" the one with the acrophobia whimpered as the slender one sighed, "He means it'll be protected by human bodyguards. Are you seriously scared of that?"

"Oh yeah, this is an Earth museum," the human-like stranger uttered as the slender one sighed, "Why are you on our team again?"

The shorter female hushed them as they all headed inside. The bulky stranger placed the lid back on the jar and hid it under his coat while they carried on.

It took them a while, but eventually they found exactly what they were looking for. The object in question was a large stone tablet with seven images on it, each one being the silhouette of some kind of creature. Not only did it look like it would be difficult to remove this item, but as was expected, the exhibit was protected by many armed guards.

"So, you think we can lift that without breaking it?" the short stranger asked as the bulky one replied, "I can do that easily, but the extra help would be appreciated. Though seriously, this had better be worth it."

With that in mind, all four stepped into the area when one of the guards smiled and asked, "Here to see the ancient beast slab? Can't blame you. It is pretty cool, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is," the bulky stranger replied, "In fact, we'd like to have it," the guard giving him a look of suspicion when suddenly, he reached out a scaly arm and grabbed onto the man's neck, hurling him into a wall.

The other guards gasped and pulled out night sticks only for the short stranger to zip past a group of them, weakening them by karate chopping them on the sides. And things only got worse when the tall slender one lit her hands on fire and punched two of them in the face, knocking them down and leaving light burns.

Finally, the normal-looking stranger knocked a couple of their heads together, sighing, "I wish we could reveal ourselves so we can use our regular moves," when suddenly, an alarm went off as the bulky stranger barked, "Quit complaining! We gotta get this slab out of here as soon as possible!"

However, they were shocked when a whole team of guards entered the area, the bulky stranger uttering, "Since when does a museum have this much security?"

With that in mind, he let out a sigh and grunted, "Alright, they may be humans, but it'll be annoying to use normal fighting skills on them. Alright, let's show them the true extent of our power!"

With that in mind, the others nodded before removing their coats. The bulky stranger was a greenish-grey turtle with a red shell around his torso and an extra yellow octagonal one on his back with a red rim and black spikes coming out of it. Each of his hands only consisted of one large finger and a tiny thumb and the back of his feet had spiky red half-rings attached to them. Rather than a normal mouth, he had a tubular yellow snout that resembled that of an anteater. On his neck were four triangular protrusions, two on each side and the top of his head resembled his second shell without the spikes and a brown centre. Finally, his tail was covered in a red armour with fin-like projections all along it.

The tall slender one was a black salamander with a mouth that almost reached the back of her head, her lower lips curved upward and resembling teeth. She had thin purple eyes and a matching belly while the bottom side of her tail was pink. She also had pink markings that resembled flames on her chest and belt area while two leafy protrusions came from her rear end just above the tail.

The one stranger who looked normal under his coat was anything but that. As it turned out, he was nothing more than a tiny guppy with large light-blue eyes that had irises that resembled puddles of water. His head and tail were white while his lower body was grey and his upper body was dark-blue. Separating both colours were white teardrop-shaped markings all along the sides. The only reason he was able to look so tall was because of a more human-like body formed from water that he seemed to control with his mind.

Finally, the stranger who already looked shorter than the others was what seemed to be a hybrid of a bee and a butterfly. Her head was fairly large but her body was slightly smaller and her arms and legs were skinny, her hands making them resemble musical notes. Along her head and torso was yellow fuzz as her face and lower body were white. She had big black eyes with white specks on the top and brown specks on the bottom. Over them were white hairs that resembled eyelashes and on her head were two oval-shaped antennae. Finally, around her neck and down her back was a brown scarf made of hair.

Upon seeing them, the guards tensed up but tried their best not to get scared. After all, they did not realize they would be dealing with super-powered beings.

"You think you can handle carrying the slab out of here while we handle this, Turtonator?" the salamander asked as the turtle nodded and lifted the slab up with ease, holding it over his head and grunting, "Let them have it, Salazzle!"

With that in mind, the salamander once again lit her hands on fire and raced toward the guards, shouting, "PYRO CHOP!" striking a row of them with karate chops thus putting light burns on them and knocking them out.

"Hey, save some of that action for me!" the bee-like butterfly squealed as she reached into her fuzz and pulled out a ball of pollen. She then hurled it at a group of guards and exclaimed, "POLLEN PUFF!" the ball forming a large explosion that sent them flying into the walls.

"Good job, Ribombee," the guppy said in the same pathetic voice as before before turning his arms into whips and using them to strike down a few more guards, Turtonator saying, "That's just good enough, Wishiwashi. Now we're ready to leave."

"Not so fast!" exclaimed a bigger and bulkier guard as the turtle sighed, "Alright, guys, take care of-"

However, he was cut off when the jar of sand started to shake, the turtle saying, "Never mind. Seems Palossand wants this one," as the others raced over to him and helped him hold up the slab while he used one hand to open the jar.

And with that, the sand came flying out, revealing that there was actually four times as much as there appeared to be. It spun around like a sandstorm before taking the form of a yellowish-brown castle with eyes, a mouth and a red shovel sticking out of his head with the spade sticking up in the air. His arms and hands were more like towers with crenellations on top and rings of windows underneath. Above his mouth and on top of his head were blue and pink seashells shaped like triangles. Though strangely enough, he had no lower body.

Even so, the head guard stared in stunned silence before pointing and laughing, "A sand castle!? I'm supposed to be afraid of a sand castle!?" Palossand frowning and forming a pair of beefy legs before barking, "No! You're supposed to fall to my might!"

With that in mind, he proceeded to retract his legs before taking the form of a spinning top, spreading out his arms and flying toward the guard. And of course, the man was unable to fight back as he took the castle's arm to his face, flying into a wall and passing out just like the other guards.

"Alright, let's go!" Palossand exclaimed while the others nodded and helped Turtonator carry the slab out of the area. They felt more at ease knowing there was no one left in the building who would dare to oppose them.

And sure enough, while they hauled the slab through the museum, all of the guests moved out of their way and allowed them to pass. However, one staff member immediately noted the authorities to come to the museum and help out. But most of all, they knew they would need a news team to be there and let the heroes of Tokyo know of this.

Once the villains exited the museum, Turtonator groaned at the sight of multiple police cars in the area, an officer exiting one of them and barking, "Alright, put down the slab and put your hands up!"

All went silent for a few seconds until Salazzle uttered, "Is he serious?" the others shrugging as Palossand sighed, "Alright, clearly you don't understand the position you're in, man. We have super powers and you're mere humans. What can you possibly do to stop us?"

At that moment, the news crew could be spotted in the distance while the officer smirked and remarked, "Actually, we're only here to slow you down. The ones who will truly put you away have probably already seen your presence."

Wishiwashi turned toward the camera and gasped, "OH NO, WE'RE ON THE NEWS!" as Ribombee muttered, "We really should have seen that coming."

"Whatever, it's not like they'll be able to stop us in time," Palossand remarked before shifting his body into the form of a steamroller and shouting, "SANDROLLER!" charging toward the officers as they panicked and fled the scene, their cars crushed underneath his giant tire.

And during all of this, a reporter stated, "We are live at the Tokyo National Museum where the ancient beast slab has been stolen. We don't know what these villains want with it, but we would much rather not find out."

Eevee was currently watching TV at home when the report came on. As such, she gasped and called up Popplio immediately to let him know, the seal more than prepared to head off toward the museum. And it was not long until Chespin heard the news as well.

Lycanroc, meanwhile, was working out in Caterpie's training facility when a grey caterpillar entered and said, "Master Caterpie, there is a disturbance at the Tokyo National Museum. It appears that an ancient artifact has been stolen."

Lycanroc gasped and turned toward the servant while Caterpie gave her a smile and said, "Well, let's put our skills to the test, shall we?"

And with all said and done, the heroes were off to confront this new threat. But could they make it in time to stop them from leaving? And even then, could they defeat them in combat?


	22. Chapter 22

Disclaimer: The song that Caterpie's servants sing is heavily inspired by the Lobe's song in Freakazoid.

The heroes of Tokyo would certainly need to hurry as Turtonator and the others carried the ancient beast slab toward the bay. To make matters worse, Palossand was still in his steamroller form while all but the turtle were riding inside of him. Turtonator, meanwhile, rose on top so he would be able to carry the slab without breaking open his leader's sand.

"Why didn't we think of this sooner?" Salazzle asked with a big smile, "It makes everything so much easier. Now there's no way the heroes of Tokyo can catch up with us."

Palossand looked more than happy himself as he added, "That's right. We're on easy street," Wishiwashi sighing, "Yeah, this wasn't too difficult. I actually feel a little alive right now, like we can take on the world."

Meanwhile, Eevee and the others soon arrived at the museum via Caterpie's limo when the chief of police turned to them and said, "Thank god you're here. I overheard one of them say they're headed toward Tokyo Bay. That is what you're here for, right?"

Popplio nodded and replied, "Oui. Come on, we'll need to hurry!" the heroes all entering the limo while Caterpie exclaimed, "Floor it, Edgar!"

And with that, the vehicle took off as the people all watched them. Needless to say, every one of them hoped the heroes could once again save the day like they had done twice the previous month, especially now that Eevee seemed so much better than before.

After a while, the villains arrived at the bay while Palossand reverted back to his original form, a smile on his face as he said, "Well, look at that. Seems like we beat the heroes of Tokyo."

"Yeah, yeah, let's just hurry before they catch up," Turtonator grumbled, Wishiwashi nodding and whimpering, "Yeah, I heard that they've defeated seven villains since they came to Earth."

"That's nothing, man," the sand castle retorted, "But either way, we really should pick up the pace. Now, which boat should we steal?"

But when they were ready to do just that, Caterpie's limo pulled up as the heroes all emerged, Eevee barking, "HEY, GIVE BACK THAT PIECE OF HISTORY!"

"Goddammit," Turtonator cursed as the villains turned toward the heroes. However, after getting a good look at them, Palossand blinked and uttered, "Wait, these are Tokyo's heroes? Really?"

Ribombee placed her hands against her hips and retorted, "What's that supposed to mean?" the sand castle clearing his throat and saying, "So, you caught up with us after all. I have to say, I definitely wasn't expecting you to have such a fast mode of transport."

"That's the advantage of having the richest dad on Hero Planet," Caterpie replied with a big smile before all but Lycanroc lowered their eyelids and sighed, "Way to be humble about it."

Chespin then glared at them and barked, "Just what are you gonna do with a giant stone anyway? I doubt it's just to decorate your house."

"Please, you must be daft if you haven't heard the legends," Palossand remarked as Salazzle uttered, "Sir, should we really tell them?"

"Yeah, that's a good point," Wishiwashi added, "If they don't know, that's good for us, right? We could tell them it's for a good purpose and they'll let us leave with it," only for Lycanroc to retort, "I heard that!" the guppy tensing up.

"It hardly matters, because I'd rather earn the right to have this anyway," Palossand stated as even Turtonator was not so sure about this. On one hand, Lycanroc was the only hero who looked strong, but on the other hand, there had to be a reason this group was able to deal with almost every villain who came to Tokyo.

"Our plan is to bring the ancient beast stone to Honolulu," the sand castle explained, "There's a cave there with a large rock formation that can hold this stone in place. Once it's there, all of the beasts sealed within this stone will come to life and assist whoever summoned them, and with their power, we can get what not even the greatest of villains before us were able to obtain, control of the world."

"Yeah, see, these guys came really close to taking over the world in ancient times," Turtonator explained, "But a powerful wizard sealed them in that stone slab. Of course, he wound up using so much power that he ultimately had to kill himself to make it work, but it very clearly did."

The heroes stared silently and turned to one-another. They knew the silhouettes on the stone represented seven powerful villains who existed in ancient times, but not many people were aware of the fact that they were actually inside of it. Needless to say, they could not allow Palossand and his allies to succeed.

With that in mind, Eevee stated, "Well, you already agreed to challenge us for it, and we accept! There's no way we can just let you run off with that slab!"

"Look, sir, we could just take them all out at once right now and run off with it," Wishiwashi uttered as Turtonator folded his arms and sighed, "It's your call, but I'm with Wishiwashi on this one. These so-called heroes seem like a waste of our time and effort."

"Hey, I'll have you know I'm the son of Hero Planet's chairman!" Caterpie snapped only for neither villain to seem the least bit fazed by this, Palossand folding his arms and saying, "Yeah, I'm sure of this. You guys will be our first step toward world conquest."

With that in mind, Ribombee smiled and quipped, "Oh well, it would have been too easy to just run away with the slab, anyway," Salazzle nodding and adding, "Yes, I agree. At least this way, we can honestly say we earned it."

Turtonator shrugged for he had already decided to go along with whatever Palossand said while Wishiwashi tried his hardest to look brave. At the very least, the heroes had a chance to save the slab from them now.

"Alright, we'll start this tomorrow morning," Palossand stated, "I prefer to fight at around that time. Meet us at Isshiiki Beach. It only seems fitting that we fight at the emperor's favourite beach, yeah?"

"Wait, what?" Eevee uttered as Popplio nodded and replied, "Oui. I did a bit of research on Tokyo's hot spots, and he's telling the truth."

"Well, whatever the case, we'll be there," Lycanroc growled as Caterpie nodded and sported a confident smile. He was certain he could win this and prove himself truly worthy of protecting Tokyo.

Turtonator sighed, "Where are we gonna spend the night, sir?" as Palossand replied, "Why, under the stars, of course. Come, let us be off to Isshiiki Beach," the turtle sighing and following him while the others joined him.

Chespin turned to Eevee and smiled before saying, "Good job. I could tell Palossand wouldn't have challenged us if you hadn't shown as much spirit as you did," the fox blushing lightly while Popplio nodded and added, "Oui, but now that we have this chance and the rest of the day to spare, what say we take advantage of it?"

The others knew exactly what he meant and nodded their heads in agreement. After all, if they did not prepare themselves, who was to say they would defeat these new villains? While Eevee had defeated Lugarugan, it had still been very close.

With that in mind, everyone headed to their homes, Chespin having claimed an old shack that resembled a blue head with fish lips, specifically that of Mapin's great grandfather, Machamp. The door was even located on his mouth, and while it was a weird design, the chipmunk was okay with it as the place was free of charge. After all, this was where both Machamp and Machoke used to live when they were still heroes, Machop having lived in it for only a little over a day. In fact, the last hero to live there was Vigoroth, so it certainly had history.

The chipmunk picked up some weights from a chest and started to lift them vigorously. Due to his build, it was not easy, but he could still manage while he thought, 'Don't worry, guys, I'm gonna help you out as best as I can! I lost to Lycanroc, but it won't happen again!'

Meanwhile, the wolf in question was back to training in the facility as Caterpie watched her deliver a series of punches and kicks into a sand bag, shouting, "Yeah, you show that bag who's boss!"

Lycanroc grinned and replied, "I will," before sending more and more hits into it while thinking, 'That's right, I won't lose to another villain! This is my chance to help you guys out, and I don't want one of my new friends to be the only opponent I've ever defeated! I at least owe you guys that much!'

Not only was she determined to make up for what she did to Chespin over a month ago, but she was absolutely certain that if she continued to train, she might very well develop a high tolerance to pain. After all, she was a rock type, so it made no sense for her body to be so weak.

During this time, Popplio and Eevee were sparring in the seal's back yard while the fox groaned, "I still envy you."

"Come on, your condo suite is nice," Popplio replied with a grin as he attempted to strike Eevee with his tail only for her to leap over it, sighing, "Yeah, but you've got a pool."

"Well, to be fair, it does make sense that our living quarters wouldn't exactly be high class," Popplio stated as he blocked an onslaught of punches from the fox, "Aside from us not having special privileges like Caterpie, the government pays for our homes and even sends us a nice sum every week for our services. You're lucky they could afford something as nice as a condo."

"I guess you're right," the fox replied as she managed to strike the seal between the eyes with one punch, a grin on her face while she squealed, "Yes!"

However, her smile left her with the seal retaliated with a strike to her face, sighing, "Let your guard down like that against a villain and it could cost you your life," Eevee rubbing the spot that had been hit and groaning, "Right."

After a little more sparring, the duo decided to take some time to rest as Popplio grinned and said, "I think you're ready, mon ami."

Eevee took a deep breath and sighed, "Yeah. Those guys won't know what him them. Maybe I'll even take down all five and none of you will have to do a thing."

"Don't get carried away," Popplio remarked as the two shared a quick laugh. Needless to say, all five heroes were confident that they could win their matches tomorrow. After all, no one could possibly be worse than Lugarugan, right?

Soon enough, the next morning came. The heroes had all eaten breakfast and arrived at Isshiiki Beach, a large group of people already gathered there. A ring had been set up on the Eastern side and another to the West, though currently, everyone was gathered by the first one.

"Word sure spreads fast when it comes to good versus evil struggles, eh?" Eevee asked as Popplio nodded and replied, "It's always been the case. After all, stuff like this makes for entertaining news."

Caterpie's eyes sparkled while he gasped, "Yes! The whole world will finally see me shine!" Lycanroc grinning and replying, "Yeah, you still haven't been televised. This is your chance to the show the world the powers inherited from your family."

Chespin lowered his eyelids and thought, 'My god, is she seriously this naive? I'll probably end up having to face his opponent next.'

When the heroes approached the crowd, a reporter was currently interviewing Palossand as she asked, "So, is it really true that the ancient spirits who used to threaten this world exist in that slab?" the sand castle nodding and replying, "Yeah, man. With that kind of power by our side, we can do anything."

Currently, Turtonator was once again holding the slab over his head and sighing, "I don't know why I have to wait until-" before turning and spotting the heroes, exclaiming, "Hey, sir, they're here!"

Palossand smiled wide while the other villains looked more than ready, Wishiwashi uttering nervously, "Oh, goody. They did show up after all."

Ribombee turned to him, shook her head and sighed, "Stop being such a baby."

Salazzle, meanwhile, smiled wickedly and whispered to Palossand, "You remember which one I want?" as he nodded and replied, "Yes, you all made your requests clear and I will still honour them."

With that, he held out his arms and exclaimed, "Hello, my little friends! I take it you're all ready for this!" as Chespin retorted, "Damn straight we are! Now who's fighting who!?"

"Hey, easy does it, man," Palossand replied, "First I should explain how this is gonna work, yeah? Alright, as you can see, there are two rings set up, one on this side and the other on the opposite end."

The sand castle then pointed to the Western side of the beach and added, "Turtonator, show the nice people at home what we're playing for, eh?"

The turtle nodded, carried the slab all the way to the centre of the beach and planted it into the sand. He then rested his hand against the side of it before Palossand explained, "We will have a series of one-on-one matches to decide whether this slab will go to us or stay here in Tokyo. Though to make this go by quicker, I've decided to hold two matches at a time. This means that whoever came here in person will only see half of the matches depending on which ring you decide to gather around."

The people felt a touch disappointed by this as Caterpie nodded and said, "I'm fine with that. That way, we can kick all your asses much more quickly. I approve of this."

"You know, just because you're the chairman's son doesn't mean villains need your approval," Chespin groaned before Eevee grinned and quipped, "Well, I'm with Caterpie on this one. So, which side should I move to?"

"I was just getting to that, child," Palossand remarked with a shrug, "Anyway, here on the Eastern coast, we will start with a match between our very own Ribombee and possibly the son of Hero Planet's chairman here," pointing at Caterpie as he exclaimed, "Yes! I get to go first!"

Ribombee folded her arms while the caterpillar turned to a camera and exclaimed, "Alright, world, remember the name Caterpie for that is the hero who defeated the first of Palossand's allies!"

The bee butterfly narrowed her eyelids and thought, 'Yeah, keep up that positive attitude. I chose you as my first opponent so I could wipe the mat with your smug face. Guys like you are why I took up a life of villainy.'

Palossand then added, "Then after that match, well, I'm saving that as a surprise, but all I can tell you is that the wolf and the chipmunk should stick around here for that one," Chespin blinking as Lycanroc nodded and replied, "Good, so that means one of us will fight next."

"Yeah," Chespin replied before thinking, 'I hope it's me. I wanna prove that I'm still worthy of being on this team.'

Palossand then proceeded to point toward the Western side before stating, "Now, the first match on that side of the beach will be between my main fish, Wishiwashi and that delightful circus seal."

Popplio grinned and stated, "The name's Popplio," as the sand castle nodded and replied, "A very interesting name, man. I shall take note of that."

Wishiwashi trembled and whimpered, "Why am I going first?" the sand castle sighing, "Come on, man, you gotta stop doubting yourself and gain a little confidence."

"Right," the guppy sighed as Popplio noticed his torso, thinking, 'I can already tell what his weakness is. But will I be able to exploit it so easily?'

"So I guess I'm going next," Eevee stated as Palossand sighed, "There you go and spoil the surprise, but I guess it was pretty obvious since I haven't mentioned you yet, yeah? Anyway, once the match between Popplio and Wishiwashi is over, you will face Salazzle."

The salamander smiled menacingly at the fox and said, "I'm looking forward to it," as she frowned and thought, 'Yeah, just keep smiling creepily. It's not like you scare me or anything.'

Once the crowd knew what was going on, a few of them headed toward the Western side to watch Popplio. However, the majority decided to stick around for Caterpie's match. After all, none of them had seen him fight, and considering he was the son of a chairman, this was exciting.

Popplio refused to let this get to him, though. After all, the lives of the innocent were much more important than how big his audience was, and thus he grinned at Wishiwashi while the guppy tensed up. He had specifically chosen the seal to be his opponent, but that was only because he figured a water type would be less of a threat to him. Deep down, he was scared out of his mind.

However, he tried to calm down when Ribombee shot him a glare. If anything, whatever Popplio could dish out would be nowhere near as bad as what the others might do to him if he did not put up an effort. As such, he knew he had to at least try his absolute best.

With the arrangements made, Palossand stated, "Alright, now that that's taken care of, each match will begin in the next twenty minutes. During that time, the fighters can work on their entrances or get in some last-minute training."

Eevee grinned at Popplio and held up her fist, saying, "Kick his ass," the seal nodding, pounding his clenched flipper against hers and replying, "Oui."

And so he and Eevee headed off toward the West coast along with Salazzle and Wishiwashi. The salamander gave him a big smile and said, "Don't look so scared. Don't forget, with that water body of yours, you're not only well protected but you're also bigger than him."

Wishiwashi blinked as his eyes sparkled. As such, he gasped, "You're absolutely right!"

With that in mind, he put on a genuinely serious face and clenched his artificial fists together, exclaiming, "Oh yeah! I'm feeling it now! I CAN win this match! Thanks, Salazzle!"

The salamander nodded and replied, "Good," before patting him on his real back, the guppy wagging his tail with a big smile. Hopefully his burst in confidence would not make him that much bigger of a threat, though. After all, if he won, that would give the villains a point over the heroes.

Meanwhile, Caterpie went off to ready an entrance while Chespin sighed, "Should I go over there and help him get some training in?"

Lycanroc shrugged and replied, "I have made the offer a few times, but he insists that he doesn't need it. I just hope he's right."

The chipmunk blinked and uttered, "Oh, so you don't really believe he's naturally amazing," the wolf shaking her head and sighing, "No one is born super strong, even with good genetics. If anything, I'm actually really scared for his safety. But I figure if I keep up a positive attitude, it might help him concentrate, you know?"

She then shrugged her shoulders as Chespin thought, 'Okay, so she's not as dense as I thought. But she still should have tried harder to get him to train,' before facing the ring while his mind added, 'Just please, for the love of God, don't screw up, Caterpie.'

During this time, Popplio was setting up various things for an entrance, including a cannon. He took a deep breath and thought, 'I hope you're watching, Mama. I'll give the crowd a show to remember.'

And all the while, Caterpie, as predicted, was much more focused on putting on a nice entrance. As it so happened, he had brought his fanciest suit with him and had even called a couple of servants to set up the rest. After all, this was his first entrance and he wanted to leave a lasting impression.

All the while, Ribombee worked on a simple entrance. She would have trained for the match, especially with her lack of muscle, but deep down, she had a feeling that she would not need it. After all, if Caterpie had never trained before, there was no doubt he was just as weak as he looked.

Wishiwashi, all the while, despite his boost in confidence earlier was starting to tense up once more. As such, he did his absolute best to calm down, thinking, 'It's okay. You're okay. He's just a small seal.'

However, his eyes widened when his mind added, 'And seals eat fish! Oh, why didn't I pick the fox!?'

Salazzle entered the area at that moment and sighed, "Wishiwashi, please, try to get over your anxiety. You joined the side of evil to get back at all the people who used to laugh at you when you worked as an aquarium attraction. Now get it together, alright?"

The guppy took a deep breath and replied, "Yeah, okay. Any ideas for an entrance?" the salamander shrugging and suggesting, "Just use your water. The possibilities with that are endless."

During this time, Yukiko had volunteered to announce Caterpie's match. After all, she had not seen him in combat yet, so this felt like a golden opportunity for her. Palossand sat outside of the ring as he could not fit in any of the seats while Turtonator sat next to him, asking, "So, what are you planning for the other two, anyway? I never really picked either one as an opponent."

"Oh, you'll like what I've arranged, man," the sand castle replied as the turtle nodded and hoped he could trust his boss on this one. After all, he still did not like having to fight for ownership of the slab when they easily could have snuck it onto a ship and taken off while the heroes prepared for their matches. But unfortunately for him, this had been a code of honour that heroes and villains alike had followed for centuries.

Meanwhile, a middle-aged woman named Yuki sat behind the desk in front of the Western ring and thought, 'Wow, it's been so long. I can't believe myself. I swore I'd move onto other things, but when they asked if I wanted to announce a match again, I just couldn't refuse. If only Mapin was still here. How I'd love to see a member of her family fight again.'

As it so happened, Yuki was the daughter of Nori who had been Tokyo's main announcer for ages. She had been there ever since Machoke came to Earth and was a huge fan of the Mach family. And while Yuki had been completely uninterested in announcing at first, just witnessing Machop's first match on Earth firsthand convinced her to take up the profession.

Nowadays, though, she had moved on from that and worked as a banker. In short, this may have very well been the last time she would ever announce a match, and she was beyond excited to go at it again after so long.

Once the twenty minutes were up, Yuki took hold of her microphone and enthusiastically shouted, "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, it's finally time for the first match on Isshiiki Beach's West coast! And though there aren't a lot of people over here, I can tell those who chose to watch this match are very excited!"

With that in mind, she pointed to the left and exclaimed, "In the red corner, fighting for Tokyo is a wonderfully talented and adorable seal! But don't let his appearance fool you as he is quite tough, having defeated Chespin and was the only one to successfully overpower Lugarugan's Accelerock! Give a round of applause for Popplio!"

The crowd went wild when a cannon was wheeled into the area. And soon enough, Popplio was blasted out of it as confetti followed close behind, the seal tucking himself into a ball and spinning vertically. And once he was near the ring, he reverted to a normal state and performed a handstand with a single flipper, winking at the crowd.

"THAT WAS AWESOME!" Eevee squealed while she clapped harder than everyone else.

"And in the blue corner, representing the villains is a creature of the deep," Yuki stated, "Even though he is small, he has molded himself a tough body out of water that's sure to give our seal friend some trouble. Introducing-"

She then looked at a sheet of paper with his name and stared at it with confusion before clearing her throat and shouting, "WISHIWASHI!" before thinking, 'Seriously? What sick twisted mother calls her kid a weakling by name?'

It seemed the guppy had finally gotten over his fears for good as he marched toward the ring with his arms in the form of tentacles. He waved them around menacingly with a cold look on his face, climbing into the ring and barking, "YOU'RE GOING DOWN!"

While his tone of voice sounded very forced, it still seemed to work as the crowd looked intimidated. However, Popplio could tell he was faking it, thus he folded his flippers and thought, 'I hate to take advantage of you like this, but I have to keep the people of Tokyo safe.'

Salazzle, however, smiled wide and thought, 'Good. Now keep up that attitude and you just might win.'

During this time on the East coast, Yukiko beamed and exclaimed, "Alright, folks, it's time for the first match on this side to begin! There's a big audience here to see the chairman's son's big debut and I'm sure they won't be disappointed!"

She then pointed to the left and exclaimed, "In the red corner, fighting for the side of evil is a rather adorable bug. But don't let her cute appearance stir you wrong. I've heard confirmation from museum security that she is extremely powerful! Ribombee, everyone!"

The crowd watched in silence while the bee butterfly flew toward the ring delicately. Halfway through her trip, though, she started to perform aerial ballet before forming a figure eight in the air and landing delicately on her feet. She ended her entrance with a bow as many audience members resisted the urge to applaud her. After all, the last thing they wanted was to support a villain.

Palossand, meanwhile, clapped heavily and exclaimed, "Yeah, man! That was great!" as Turtonator nodded and added, "Yes, very graceful and elegant.

Ribombee smiled delicately and replied, "Why, thank you," Lycanroc folding her arms and grumbling, "That was okay, I guess."

"Still, it's probably nowhere near as pretentious as what Caterpie's gonna give us," Chespin sighed, "I just want Yukiko to announce his presence so we can get it out of the way."

Yukiko smiled and announced, "And in the blue corner, gracing us with his presence for the first time is one with an impressive lineage! His grandfather was the first chairman to ever fight the forces of evil and they say his father was pretty amazing back in the day, at least for a sentient chrysalis, and I'm sure he's just as impressive as they were! Presenting Caterpie!"

The crowd watched in amazement as a red carpet was rolled out, Chespin and Lycanroc's jaws dropped as even the wolf could not believe her friend would go this far to impress people. And sure enough, a Broadway-like score played in the background as Caterpie entered with a small tuxedo designed for a caterpillar on and blew kisses to the crowd. All the while, two of his servants joined him along his walk while singing, "Please clap for Caterpie! Please cheer for Caterpie! We are so honoured to introduce his grace! Give a big hand for him! All of you stand for him! We are happy to introduce his glamourous face!"

While they continued to sing, Chespin buried his face in his hands and groaned, "He's not taking this seriously at all!" only to turn to Lycanroc to notice her eyes sparkling, a big smile forming. She never knew an entrance to a fight could be so whimsical.

Caterpie entered the ring and threw off his tuxedo as his servants ended their song by singing, "Give him applause, people! Don't even stop to pause, people! Caterpie is here to save you all!"

After a few seconds, the crowd went wild while Yukiko exclaimed, "Wow, I was not expecting that!" as Ribombee fumed and thought, 'Alright, showoff, you're going down!'

And with all said and done, the caterpillar was more than ready to begin the match. But could he and Popplio defeated their respective opponents? Only time would tell.


	23. Chapter 23

This was it. After much anticipation, it was time for Tokyo's heroes to once again fight, not just for the lives of the people but for the entire world. Popplio was more than determined to defeat Wishiwashi even though deep down, he could tell the guppy was not as prepared for this match as he seemed.

With that in mind, he bowed his head and said, "Here's to a good match," Wishiwashi still forcing a more serious look and growling, "D-Don't try to be honourable with me! I'm gonna kick your hiney! People still stay that, right?"

Salazzle slapped her forehead as Eevee smirked and said tauntingly, "Some ally you got there," only for the salamander to hiss at her and think, 'You reassured me that my words got through to you. Please don't mess this up.'

Seeing her shoot him a cold stare, Wishiwashi tried even harder to get over his fear. Right now, the best method he could come up with was imagining that Popplio was a puppy as opposed to a seal, but it was impossible for him to ignore the fish tail. All he could pray for now was that the seal was as weak as his appearance suggested.

Yuki smiled and exclaimed, "Alright, folks, the combatants are set! Let's begin!" ringing the bell and thinking, 'Oh, that felt so good! Why did I give this up?'

Before Wishiwashi could do a thing, Popplio immediately leapt toward him with his tail raised, thinking, 'Normally I would wait for my opponent to make the first move, but I can tell he's not going to fight back.'

However, he was shocked when Wishiwashi shifted his body to the side thus causing the seal to hit his water torso instead. As such, his tail not only went through him, but he soon found himself stuck in the substance as it was surprisingly thick.

All went silent as Wishiwashi smiled and exclaimed, "Oh yeah, I forgot all about that!" before resting his hands against Popplio's head and prying him out of the liquid. He then leapt into the air and flipped the seal upside-down, driving his skull into the mat while the crowd gasped and Eevee squeaked, "POPPLIO!"

The seal groaned and rolled away from him, uttering, "But how?" Wishiwashi remarking, "How else do you expect me to harm my opponents with a body made of water? You see, a fascinating ability I was born with is the ability to manipulate water with my mind. But in order to have it function as a working body, I'm able to make it more solid by turning it into a gelatin."

Salazzle nodded and thought, 'Way to take advantage of what you have. I told you that you could do this, and it seems like I might have been right after all.'

Popplio frowned and thought, 'Alright, this is okay. I already know that the key to beating him is to attack his solid body, but that water of his will make it difficult. I need to find an opening to exploit, then he'll be easy pickings.'

During this time, Caterpie looked more than ready as his servants stood by the sidelines in case something went wrong. And all the while, Ribombee was beyond furious. She just wanted to wipe his smug look off his face.

"I have to admit, that was very entertaining," Palossand said with a big smile as Turtonator shrugged.

Both bugs stood on separate sides of the ring when Yukiko nodded and said, "Well, with that highly enjoyable entrance out of the way, it's time to begin the match. Without further ado, let's do just that."

And with the bell rung, Caterpie wasted no time shooting his string toward Ribombee while exclaiming, "STRINGSHOT!"

The bee butterfly waited for it to get close before flying over it, the caterpillar hitting the middle rope behind her instead. As such, his eyes widened as she thought, 'Easy,' before dive-bombing him and sending a hard kick into his forehead.

The crowd gasped while Caterpie winced from the pain. And things only got worse when Ribombee landed in front of him and delivered a series of slaps to his face, Yukiko stating, "And it would seem that Caterpie is unable to fight back as Ribombee delivers an onslaught of hard slaps."

"COME ON!" Lycanroc cried out as the caterpillar's eyes widened, "Don't let this get you down! I'm sure you can turn this around!"

Caterpie frowned and spat, "Of course! I am Metapod's son, after all!" thus he ignored the pain and threw his top two arms up, grabbing hold of Ribombee's wrists.

The bee butterfly's eyes widened as she spat, "Hey, let go of it!" only for the caterpillar to retort, "As if!" leaning backward and lifting her over him, planting the back of her head into the mat.

The crowd cheered while Yukiko exclaimed, "Well, it was a rough start, but Caterpie has turned this around with a suplex!"

Chespin smiled and said, "That was actually pretty impressive," Lycanroc nodding and replying, "Yeah. Maybe he really does have the power within."

But of course, this was far from over as Ribombee rolled away from Caterpie and fumed, growling, "Don't think for a minute that you've won just because you landed a lucky shot! Mark my words! That is the last time you will be able to so much as touch me throughout this entire match!"

Caterpie stared awkwardly at her and uttered, "I have the funny feeling there's more to this than just me hitting you," only for the bee butterfly to fly backward toward the ropes. She then pressed her feet up against them and propelled herself forward, flipping backward with grace and precision.

The caterpillar fired his string forward only for Ribombee to lean backward and over it, flipping her entire body around and planting both of her feet between his antennae. This distracted him just long enough for her to fly above him and cup her hands together, lifting one leg up and twirling down toward his skull.

"BALLET DROP!" she shouted, sending her other foot into Caterpie's skull. The crowd stared in shock as he rubbed the spot, groaning, "How in God's name do your toothpicks hurt so much!?"

Hearing her arms and legs referred to by these words seemed to trigger something in Ribombee as she narrowed her eyelids and glared at him, fire forming in her eyes. Now the caterpillar was even more horrified while she placed her hands against her hips and growled, "Look, I can barely tolerate it when my own allies bring it up, but you have no idea how insulting that remark is coming from someone like you!"

Chespin blinked and uttered, "The hell is she talking about?" Lycanroc shrugging and replying, "Maybe she's sensitive about her size."

"For your information, that's only part of it!" Ribombee retorted as she shot the wolf a cold stare. She then turned back to Caterpie and growled, "You think just because you come from some high-class rich family, that makes you better than everyone else! Seriously, the fact that someone as pompous as you even managed to land a hit on me is absurd!"

The caterpillar blinked and sighed, "Look, it's not my fault I'm the chairman's son," Ribombee retorting, "True, but it is your fault that you choose to showboat it wherever you go and act like you're the king of the world! I've even heard about how you have openly admitted in interviews that you have never trained for a match because you believe you don't have to! It makes me sick! You do nothing and yet you have all this popularity and people cheering you on while people like me who work toward their goals never get any attention!"

Palossand nodded and exclaimed, "Yeah, you tell him, man!" as Turtonator uttered, "Sir, is this really the time and place for this?"

But while the turtle found this unnecessary, Caterpie was at a loss for words. As much as he wanted to deny it, he had to admit that she had a point. And as if that was not enough, Chespin and even Lycanroc were having trouble sticking up for him. After all, Caterpie had done nothing but brag about how naturally talented he was and yet he was unable to prove it. Could it be that all this time, Metapod was wrong about him?

Ribombee could tell the caterpillar finally understood and thus she figured now was the best time to end this match. As such, she took to the sky once more and spread out her wings with her arms spread out. She then cupped her feet together and spun toward Caterpie like a twister and exclaimed, "DAZZLING CORKSCREW!"

Caterpie simply stood there and waited for the attack to hit as Lycanroc gasped, "CATERPIE, GET OUT OF THE WAY!"

However, he refused to move and took Ribombee's attack to his forehead. The crowd stared in stunned silence while he fell hard on his back, his eyes stuck wide open while a bit of green blood came from his forehead.

After half-a-minute, Yukiko rang the bell and exclaimed, "And after a surprisingly short match, Caterpie has lost!" panic spreading through the area as Chespin groaned, "What the hell was that!? He let himself lose!"

Lycanroc was even more concerned as she rose up from her seat and ran toward the side of the ring to make sure the caterpillar was okay. And she could tell that he would wake up soon enough not to need a trip to the hospital, but that one kick made him feel weak. Therefor, he ultimately needed to be carried out of the ring.

Ribombee smirked and said, "I hope you guys are a bigger challenge than your pompous friend," the wolf growling at her before heading to a nearby bench to set Caterpie down.

"That was awesome, man!" Palossand stated when Ribombee flew over to him, "You sure showed him that hard work will always beat genetics!"

"Well, he would be the first to actually learn something," Ribombee sighed before folding her arms, "Too bad it won't do him any good once we've enslaved humanity, right?"

The sand castle nodded as Lycanroc looked over Caterpie, saying, "Don't worry. Chespin and I will beat our opponents as will Popplio and Eevee. Then I'll see to it that Ribombee faces me so I can get back at her for this."

With the match over with, Palossand directed everyone's attention to a big TV screen nearby and said, "I'd feel like we'd be rushing things a little too much if we just started the next match right away, so what say we check out what's going on in the West coast, eh?"

And sure enough, the screen was turned on to show Popplio currently dodging a few strikes from Wishiwashi who had formed the tentacles and was using them as whips. After having dealt one hit to the seal, his confidence had grown immensely and now he was fully focused on the fight.

"For years, your kind has used mine as a source of food," he stated with a big smile, "But now I'll be on the top of the food chain!" Popplio dodging each strike before noticing how caught up in the moment the guppy was.

With that in mind, he smirked and leapt backward to the ropes the next time a tentacle came his way. Wishiwashi blinked and stared in horror while the seal pressed his tail up against the material and bounced off, spreading out his flippers and spinning while barking, "CIRCUS WINDMILL!"

Eevee had a big smile on her face until Wishiwashi panicked and held up his arms, combining them together as they formed into a wall. His eyes widened as he seemed to be just as surprised as the crowd by this. Even so, this was bad news for Popplio when he found himself stuck in the liquid once half his body had gone through it.

"What the-?" Chespin uttered while watching this, feeling beyond worried for Popplio. After all, he had helped the chipmunk see the light, so to see him in a predicament like this was painful.

And it only seemed to get worse when Wishiwashi smirked and said, "I'm even more awesome than I thought," before ramming his forehead into Popplio's.

The crowd stared in horror while Yuki said, "And once again, Popplio is unable to hit his opponent while he winds up on the receiving end of a surprisingly powerful blow. Let's see if he can find a way to turn this around."

Eevee bit her lower lip as Wishiwashi continued to reel his arms in and out, striking Popplio with a headbutt every time. And just as Yuki said, each hit was amazingly strong considering how tiny the guppy's real body was. Could it be that the water surrounding him was just that powerful?

Chespin stood up from his seat and growled, "I'm going to give him my support!" but just as he was about to race over there, Palossand got in his way and said, "If you leave this area, that'll be the same as you forfeiting your match. You don't wanna do that, do you, man?"

The chipmunk gritted his teeth while Ribombee asked, "Don't you wanna make up for your friend's incompetence?" Lycanroc growling, "As much as I'd like to go, too, you know we can't take that risk."

While Chespin knew her words were true, hearing them from her made him feel uncomfortable. But even so, he took a deep breath and grumbled, "Fine. But I only hope you end up being my opponent."

Palossand chuckled while thinking, 'Oh, you have no idea. And seeing how you reacted to your ally there, I just know this is going to be fun, lots and lots of fun.'

After Popplio had taken in twenty blows to the forehead, Wishiwashi separated his arms and held the seal with one hand. He then hurled him into the air and said, "I may as well end this with something a little more creative. I just never thought I'd get a chance to use this."

He then leapt up to the seal's level with his other arm raised and exclaimed, "VOLLEYBALL SPIKE!" planting his fist hard into Popplio's back as he coughed up blood and careened into the canvas.

The crowd stared in horror while Yuki spat, "And as if the headbutts weren't bad enough, now Popplio had been taken down by the ultimate serve!"

"NO!" Eevee squeaked as she rose from her seat, Salazzle chuckling and saying, "Well, seems your friend there isn't as amazing as he tried to let on. Perhaps he should have stayed at the circus, eh?"

The fox grimaced at her before barking, "POPPLIO, GET UP!" the seal groaning and turning toward her while she added, "COME ON! YOU'RE THE REASON WHY I'M ACTUALLY A GOOD FIGHTER NOW! I CAN'T STAND TO SEE YOU GET BEATEN AROUND LIKE THIS! COME ON, HE'S BEEN HITTING YOU WITH WATER THIS WHOLE TIME!? ARE YOU SERIOUSLY GOING TO LET THAT DEFEAT YOU!?"

Wishiwashi pouted and murmured, "Did she have to put it that way?" rubbing his fingers together as Salazzle sighed, "Ignore her and finish him off! He's still conscious!"

The guppy stared down at the seal and gasped, "HOLY MACKEREL, HE REALLY IS!" and thus he molded his water body into a bubble and rolled it toward him, shouting, "BUBBLY BOULDER!"

"Come on!" Eevee squeaked as Popplio gasped and got back up, immediately tucking himself into a ball. He then rolled toward Wishiwashi while thinking, 'I can't use too much speed this time. The last thing I want is a repeat of my match with Lugarugan.'

With that in mind, he waited until he was close enough before swerving to the right. Wishiwashi stopped his trip and formed his normal body before asking, "What just-?" only for Popplio to leap up toward him and plant his tail hard into his face, barking, "BOUNCING BALL STRIKE!"

The crowd went wild when Wishiwashi coughed up blood and flew out of his water body. Thus the torso collapsed as the guppy fell on his side and flopped around, gasping for air with panic in his expression. And all the while, no one could believe what they were seeing, not even Salazzle.

'Wait, so all this time, he needed that fake body to survive on land?' she thought before Eevee uttered, "Someone should probably find him a fish bowl."

Even Popplio looked a tad concerned as Wishiwashi gasped in a raspy voice, "No, it's fine! I can control it with my mind, remember?" before focusing hard. Thus the water reformed around him while he took many deep breaths before clearing his throat and tensing up.

Even with his water body back, he was still in trouble. That one hit made him feel incredibly weak, so he just knew taking in one more would be enough to defeat him. And to make matters worse, it seemed that Popplio had finally figured out how to get around his fighting style. As such, the guppy's fear had returned.

Seeing this on the screen, Chespin beamed and shouted, "Yeah! That's the Popplio I know!"

Turtonator pinched his forehead and sighed, "That was just pathetic. And now he looks like he's lost his concentration. Is there anything he can do?"

"I don't know," Palossand replied, "I've only seen him use basic moves when dealing with other people. I didn't even know he had moves like the ones we've seen so far."

Hearing this, Lycanroc smiled and said, "Don't worry, Caterpie. Popplio's gonna win and give us a point in our favour. We can still save Tokyo," the caterpillar letting out a light moan. The wolf smiled lightly in response, glad to see that he had already started to regain consciousness.

Wishiwashi tried his hardest to look brave while looking around, thinking, 'This can't be it. There's gotta be some way to make myself stronger.'

His eyes and mouth widened when he realized something that should have been obvious the whole time. He was fighting near a beach, a place surrounded by water. If anything, he could make his water torso bigger and stronger, maybe even expand the head so it would be harder for Popplio to hit him.

With that in mind, he smirked and chuckled wickedly, Popplio staring in confusion while Salazzle asked, "Did you think of something?"

"You bet I did," he replied, "Oh, Popplio, I hope you enjoyed hitting me, because I can guarantee you won't land another one."

Eevee was worried as the seal bit his lower lip. This was the most confident Wishiwashi had been throughout the entire match. Whatever he had in store would not be good.

With that, the guppy's eyes glowed a darkest shade of blue as suddenly, the water nearby started to shift. Eevee's eyes widened while she gasped, "Popplio, he's going to make his body stronger!" the seal replying, "I already figured as much. I'd better stop him."

But just as the seal was about to fling himself toward Wishiwashi and stop his torso from becoming more powerful, he was taken off guard when suddenly, a large school of fish flew out of the water. All of them flew toward the guppy and surrounded his body thus allowing him to take on the form of an even larger fish with a long tail and legs.

This new body was divided into four bands with his head being a light shade of blue, the shade getting darker as the second band made up the torso. The third was on his belt area and the final band covered his tail and legs. He had two white fish that served as his new eyes with a dark blue recess surrounding each. He also had a dorsal fin that resembled the hatch of a submarine and his new arms resembled dolphins with the tails and fins serving as fingers. And finally, he had a wide gaping mouth where his normal body acted as a tongue, almost as if he was seated inside this new body's cockpit.

"Holy catfish," Wishiwashi uttered as his eyes sparkled, "This is amazing! Why have I only just discovered this power!?"

Everyone else stared in shock as Eevee uttered, "You mean he basically improvised that whole thing?" Salazzle sighing and thinking, 'Oh well, I have no doubt that new body will benefit him greatly.'

Needless to say, Popplio would need to be careful. Once could only guess how much stronger this new body would make him.


	24. Chapter 24

While Popplio's fight with Wishiwashi had been surprisingly tough up to this point, things had just gotten worse as he now had an entire body made of fish. One could only guess how much stronger he was now.

The seal would need to think fast, though, since Wishiwashi was so full of confidence that he could not help but charge toward him. Popplio panicked and leapt to the side only for the guppy to swing his new tail into his side. This resulted in the seal's eyes and mouth widening while he tumbled sideways along the mat.

The crowd gasped as Eevee uttered, "Who would have guessed so many tiny fish together would be so strong?" before Salazzle clapped happily and exclaimed, "That's more like it! Keep it up!"

Using a few of the fish making up his torso, Wishiwashi created a pair of skinny arms and stretched his new large hands toward Popplio. Once they were close enough, he took hold of him and reeled him inward, planting his back against the fish body's chest. And with the seal unable to escape, Wishiwashi leapt high into the air and flipped backward, shouting, "DOLPHIN DIVE SUPLEX!" diving toward the turnbuckle and planting the back of his head into it.

The crowd was horrified when Popplio coughed up blood. Thus Wishiwashi released his hold and allowed him to collapse, closing his hands inward before shouting, "Holy catfish! This new form is amazing! I wish I'd known about this sooner!" uttering, "Though how is it that that these new fish can survive without water?"

Chespin tensed up and uttered, "Come on, Popplio, don't let this get you down. You took in all sorts of punishment from me and still won."

"It seems this new body is already proving more useful than that gelatinous one before," Yukiko stated, "Wishiwashi has only used two attacks yet has proven himself a real force to be reckoned with. Let's see if Popplio can make up for this."

But just as all seemed lost, the seal pushed himself back up and breathed heavily, glaring at the fish and growling, "You know, I just noticed a flaw with that new body of yours, and I intend to exploit it."

"WHAT!?" Wishiwashi gasped as the seal slid toward him and barked, "SEAL WATER SLIDE!" ramming his flippers hard into his ankles and sending him flying into the air. He then leapt high into the air and wrapped his arms around the fish school.

The crowd went wild while Popplio quipped, "I had a feeling I wouldn't stick to this new body of yours, and lo and behold, I was right. This only makes you an easier target."

He then leaned backward and planted the back of Wishiwashi's new head into the canvas as the cheers for him got louder, Eevee squealing, "THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!"

However, Popplio was shocked when Wishiwashi planted his hands against the canvas and propelled himself away from him. He had a big smile on his face while he said, "That didn't hurt. It actually didn't hurt. Oh my Cthulhu, this is amazing!"

The audience gasped as Eevee spat, "WHAT!?" Popplio, all the while, stared wide-eyed and thought, 'I had my suspicions, but I was really hoping it wasn't true. That new fish suit of his is like armour.'

He did not seem to have much time to come up with a way around this, though, when Wishiwashi stretched out his arms again, sending a hard palm punch into the seal's face. And it did not end there as he continued to send more and more hits into the same spot, smiling wide since he was actually enjoying himself. He had always been hesitant to fight others like him, but that was because he never imagined it would be this easy.

Chespin watched this in horror while Turtonator suggested, "Sir, I think we've seen enough to know he'll win for sure. Maybe we should set up the next match already."

Palossand turned to the crowd and shrugged his shoulders, replying, "The crowd seems to be invested in this match, so I think I'll wait ten more minutes before revealing the big surprise. Who knows? It might actually end within that time."

"Come on, Popplio, you're better than this!" Eevee squeaked as the seal growled and lifted up his flippers in order to block the incoming blows. However, due to the immense size of Wishiwashi's new hands, he still took in pain from this.

Luckily, though, he soon saw something he could do as he waited for the next palm punch to come his way. And once it was closed enough, he spread out his flippers and allowed himself to take in the blow to his gut. The crowd gasped until the seal smirked and placed a firm grip on the hand, vaulting over it and sending his tail hard into Wishiwashi's fake skull.

The guppy blinked and uttered, "Well, I'll admit that was a pretty creative escape, but it still didn't hurt."

Popplio growled and clung to the dorsal fin, slamming his tail repeated into the back of the head and barking, "I know it didn't hurt! But I think I've figured out how to get past your defences! I just need to keep beating away at this suit until it collapses!"

Salazzle blinked and uttered, "That might actually work," as Eevee squealed, "YEAH! KEEP IT UP!"

However, there was no way Wishiwashi would allow this. As such, he retracted his hands back to his sides before falling backwards, Popplio's eyes widening when his own backside soon made contact with the canvas. And it did not end there as Wishiwashi started to flop around like a fish gasping for air and barked, "FLOPPING TORTURE!"

Yuki blinked while Popplio's back took in even more pain from this, the woman saying, "And using a move that would normally be seen as a bad thing for any fish, Wishiwashi continues to add to Popplio's pain. It's really starting to look hopeless."

With that in mind, Popplio released his hold on the dorsal fin. He would have at least tried to get away, but after taking in so many hits, he felt weak.

'Non,' he thought as he flipped his body over and tried to push himself upright. However, Wishiwashi saw this and stood upright before stomping on his back, forming the arms again just so he could hold his hands in the air and exclaim, "You may as well announce my victory because this match is mine!"

Eevee bit her lip as Popplio realized he could not allow her to be the only one on the West coast who was still able to fight. As such, he gritted his teeth and growled, "Or so you think, mon ami!" before using all his might to flip himself vertically.

Wishiwashi's eyes and mouth widened as he tripped and fell on his back. It did not end there when Popplio leapt high into the air with his tail raised. And once he was close enough, said part made contact with the fish body's gut, the crowd cheering.

Unfortunately, this still dealt no damage as Wishiwashi frowned and sent his hands inward, clutching Popplio's sides. He then rose to his feet and grunted tauntingly, "Let this be a lesson. Just because you're bigger doesn't mean you're guaranteed to win."

But before the guppy could do a thing, Popplio let out a sigh and asked, "Before you end this match, there's something I must know. Why are you doing this? Unlike the other members of your group, you didn't seem like you actually wanted to do this."

Wishiwashi bit his lower lip while Salazzle snapped, "Hey, you got him in your grasp! Finish him off, already! He's trying to take advantage of you!" only for Wishiwashi to sigh, "Hold your seahorses, there. I want all these people here to know exactly why I wish to enslave mankind."

Everyone seemed interested as he grunted, "Look at me, Popplio," opening his fake mouth to show his normal face, "Of all the beings like me in the world, I'm the most pathetic. I'm tiny and I'm weak without my artificial bodies. My eyes look like puddles, freaking puddles!"

"I don't follow," the seal uttered before the guppy retorted, "What I'm saying is I look funny! Because of this, I've been laughed at my whole life! I used to be a creature people could see at an aquarium. I was supposed to be admired for my grace and dignity. Instead, they all laughed at me because of my outward appearance. You wouldn't know what that's like."

Eevee blinked and uttered, "Is he serious?" as many other members of the crowd shrugged.

"I knew you wouldn't understand!" the guppy sniffed with tears in his eyes, "You all think my reasoning is shallow like a kiddy pool!"

"Non, I think it's that last statement everyone's questioning," Popplio remarked, "Look at moi. I don't know if you're aware of this, but my nose and ruff aren't exactly costume props. I naturally look like a clown and, more so, I used to work at a circus and I didn't really like it, so when the opportunity rose for moi to become a hero, I took it."

Wishiwashi blinked and uttered, "Oh my starfish! Why didn't I see that sooner?" but rather than feeling relieved, his anger seemed to increase as he growled, "And yet despite all of that, people actually take you seriously! You disgust me!"

Popplio's eyes widened with terror while Wishiwashi let out a loud cry and hurled him toward the ropes. However, there was no way the seal would allow himself to lose, and thankfully, that distraction gave him just enough energy to fight back. Thus when his back made contact with the material, he tucked himself into a ball and barked, "SEAL CANNON BALL!"

Wishiwashi blinked as the seal launched himself toward him, planting himself hard into his gut. However, his eyes were wide with shock and terror when he bounced off and landed on his back, skidding across the mat. Once he came to a stop, he breathed heavily and tensed up.

"What's wrong?" Wishiwashi asked in a mocking tone as the seal groaned, "All those hits I've dealt to your fish suit were meaningless! No matter how hard I try, I can't make it collapse!"

The crowd gasped in horror as Yuki stated, "If what we've heard is correct, Wishiwashi's armour could very well be indestructible, but how did Popplio come to that conclusion?" the guppy equally confused.

"I could tell the second I bounced off," Popplio growled, "So it's just like your water body. I can't topple it down as long as you're focused enough to continue controlling them with your mind."

Wishiwashi stared silently before placing his hands against his hips and laughing, "Oh manta ray! I'm even more awesome than I thought!" as Eevee whimpered, "Oh my god, Popplio's gonna lose to a guy who's literally been making shit up throughout the entire match!"

Yuki, meanwhile, narrowed her eyelids and sighed, "I swear, if I hear one more pun out of him, I'm gonna go in there and finish what Popplio started," before clearing her throat and stating, "Well, you heard if yourself, folks. Popplio has absolutely no way to destroy that new body Wishiwashi has made for himself! How can he possibly win?"

The seal already knew the answer, but he also knew it would be very difficult. But seeing just how overconfident Wishiwashi was right now, he had a perfect opportunity. And as much as it pained him to admit this, the lives of everyone in Tokyo mattered much more than his own morals.

With that in mind, he launched himself toward the fake mouth as Wishiwashi gasped and closed it shut. Thus Popplio's forehead struck the lips and he bounced toward the turnbuckle, his head hitting it hard.

The guppy opened the mouth and breathed a sigh of relief, saying, "That was close. Just try that again. Maybe you'll end up beating yourself."

Eevee gritted her teeth as she wanted so badly and go in there and help. Popplio had taken in an onslaught throughout the entire match, and to make matters worse, most of his efforts had been in vain. It truly seemed hopeless at this point.

But as Wishiwashi advanced toward him with his hands ready to strike, the seal closed his eyes and thought, 'Alright, Wishiwashi, you've been a much tougher opponent than I thought you'd be. Unfortunately for you, I don't give up. As much as I used to hate being a performer, doing so has built up my stamina over the years.'

With that in mind, he looked back at the ropes and came up with a plan. As such, he sported a more serious look and barked, "ALRIGHT, LET'S TRY THIS AGAIN!"

He then leapt toward the mouth as Wishiwashi gasped and sealed it shut, Popplio puffing out his chest and allowing it to hit the lips. As such, he took in less pain as he ricocheted toward the ropes, thinking, 'That's right. As long as the mouth is closed, he can't see. As such, he'll have to open it up again, and that's when I'll get him.'

And sure enough, Wishiwashi opened up the fake mouth again and sighed, "I was kidding when I said-" his eyes wide with terror when Popplio pressed his tail up against the ropes. He held his flippers against his sides and flew toward the guppy, shouting, "CIRCUS MISSILE!"

The crowd stared in shock as Wishiwashi was unable to close his mouth in time. Thus when he did, Popplio had already flown into it, the area going silent until he burst through the back of the mouth, his forehead having struck the guppy hard. And sure enough, he was sent flying out the ring and into the beach water, the other fish collapsing and flopping around on the canvas.

Eevee and Salazzle stared in shock while Chespin beamed and squealed, "Yeah! I knew he could do it!" Lycanroc smiling sweetly and saying, "Yeah. He really won, didn't he?"

Palossand and Turtonator were equally impressed as the guppy was too shaken up to form his water torso despite being in the liquid right now. As such, Yuki beamed bright and rang the bell, shouting, "And after a long and intense match, Popplio is our winner!"

The area erupted with heavy cheers and applause while Salazzle's look of shock did not leave her face. And of course, Eevee could not resist giving the seal a standing ovation, whistling at him and squealing, "YOU ROCK, POPPLIO!"

The salamander rose from her seat and shot the fox a wicked smirk, saying, "He just got lucky. Once I deal with you, he's next."

She then headed off to prepare as Eevee thought, 'Right, I almost forgot about that. Now that this match is over, I'll have to fight.'

Even so, she tried not to think about this just yet as she got up and approached the bleachers. Popplio turned to her before she grinned and said, "Good job," holding her thumb up as the seal nodded and replied, "Oui. I just know you'll win your match, too, mon ami."

With all said and done, the seal exited the ring as Yuki thought, 'Oh man, I forgot how exciting this was! And I get to announce one more today! That makes me so happy!"

However, before taking a seat, Popplio made his way over to Wishiwashi and asked, "You alright?"

The guppy blinked and gasped, "Oh my god, I'm in water right now!" before positioning himself upright. However, he was feeling too weak to form his torso and thus made himself a small fish bowl with spider legs, uttering, "Wait, why the Davy Jones' Locker do you care?"

"First of all, you may be on the side of evil, but you're also a person," Popplio sighed, "But as I said before, you really don't seem so bad. I know you wanted to be taken seriously, and I feel bad that you didn't get that, but you still managed to entertain people."

"Easy for you to say," the guppy growled, "You spent your years working as a clown. Of course people would laugh at you," the seal sighing, "Non. I was a performer, but I never did clown acts despite my nose being big and red. The important thing was that they were entertained by my work, and right now, I'm still performing but for a much bigger purpose. I entertain these people and save their lives."

Wishiwashi's eyes sparkled briefly before he sighed, "I don't care whether the others win or not. I'm turning myself in," a light smile on his face as Popplio nodded and said, "And perhaps once they let you out, you can find a path in life that suits the real you, oui?"

Wishiwashi nodded before sighing and heading toward a nearby authority. Salazzle watched this from her training area and narrowed her eyelids, thinking, 'Whatever. Who needs a weakling like that, anyway? I give him all the encouragement I can and this is how he repays me.'

Meanwhile, on the East coast, Palossand smiled and said, "Well, now that both matches are out of the way, it's finally time for the next match. And for this one, it's gonna be something special."

Chespin frowned and thought, 'He's gonna face me, I just know it! Bring it on, you walking litter box!' as Lycanroc had a feeling it might be her.

However, the sand castle seemed to have other plans entirely as he smirked wickedly and thought, 'I can see there's friction between those two. One is more than happy to be friends, but the other is not. This is just perfect.'

With that in mind, he stated, "The next match will be a tag team bout. That means Turtonator and I will go up against the chipmunk and wolf."

Turtonator blinked and said, "So that was your plan. I'm alright with that," as Chespin froze in place.

However, Lycanroc seemed more than happy when she smiled and approached him, saying, "This is great. We get to work together. We're gonna kick so much butt," holding up her fist.

The chipmunk stared briefly before shrugging his shoulders and replying, "Yeah, wonderful," heading off to prepare himself as Lycanroc stared in confusion, thinking, 'People still bump fists, right?'

Before she headed off, she heard Caterpie cough lightly and turned to him. The caterpillar smiled and said, "Kick ass out there, Lycanroc," the wolf smiling and gasping, "Oh my god, you're awake!"

The caterpillar nodded and sighed, "Yeah. It's good that Popplio won his match. Now let's keep it up. Soon enough, Ribombee will be the only one standing in our way."

Lycanroc nodded and headed off to prepare for the match with Chespin. She just knew that with his help, this would be much easier. But did the chipmunk feel the same? After all, he still seemed a touch awkward around her, but why?

With all said and done, the wolf took off to prepare for the match. She had been given another chance to redeem herself by defeating a villain. There was no way she would mess this up, no matter how powerful these two looked.

And of course, Chespin was just as determined to win. After all, Popplio had won despite everything going against him. He wanted to pull that off again, just like when he fought Litwick.


	25. Chapter 25

While things were starting to look up for the heroes, there were still two matches to go. Not a lot had been seen from Turtonator or Salazzle, but the citizens had seen enough from Palossand to know that he was at least a major threat. But there was no way the heroes of Tokyo would allow themselves to lose, especially not when Lycanroc and Chespin had a chance to take down two birds with one stone.

And all the while, Eevee felt more than prepared for her fight with Salazzle, thinking, 'There's no way she's as strong as Lugarugan and Noivern were. I'll beat her for sure.'

Once enough time had passed on the East coast, Yukiko exclaimed, "Alright, folks, we've had one shockingly one-sided match so far and a much more exciting one! Now it's time for the next one to begin, and this one's gonna be a real treat as it's our first tag match in ages!"

The crowd was more than excited as one audience member whispered, "Well, at least I know that both Chespin and Lycanroc are amazing fighters," another replying, "True, but Palossand and Turtonator look scary."

"In the red corner," Yukiko stated, "We have two big and frightening villains! We already saw a sample of what one of them has to offer on the news, but is the other as strong as he looks? We're about to find out as I introduce Palossand and Turtonator!"

The crowd watched in silence while Palossand was currently in the form of a bulldozer with Turtonator in the driver's seat with his arms folded. No one even knew how to react to this as it was rather hard to take seriously. But once they reached the ring, the turtle leapt off of his leader and landed hard against the mat, Palossand joining him and reverting to his normal form.

"Hello, Tokyo!" he exclaimed as the people stared in shock, Yukiko saying, "He acts as if he was expecting a round of applause."

"Well, why not, man?" the sand castle remarked, "After all, just cause I'm evil doesn't mean I can't put on a good show," winking at the crowd as they all tensed up.

Caterpie blinked and uttered, "So it's wrong when I showboat, but it's okay when he does it?" Ribombee shooting him a glare and retorting, "At least he earned the right to do so and was much more humble about it. Besides, shouldn't you still be unconscious?"

"And in the blue corner," Yukiko stated, "Fighting for our freedom once again are the two newest additions to the team. Both have proven themselves more than capable of protecting us and now that they're both fighting together, one can only imagine how much better they'll be. Everyone, give a round of applause for Chespin and Lycanroc!"

The crowd cheered wildly while Chespin walked toward the ring with a cape on his back. Lycanroc followed close behind with the outfit she had bought the previous day on. The chipmunk smirked until he heard a few people shouting, "LOOKING GOOD, LYCANROC!"

Chespin tried his hardest not to let this get to him, though he could not help but wonder what the big deal was. He figured if anything, the cape would make him look cooler. As such, he threw it around his front side to give himself a more intimidating look only for lower portion to shift in front of his feet. As a result, he stepped on it and tripped, falling flat on his face.

After a few seconds, the crowd winced as one asked, "You okay, Chespin?" Palossand pointing and laughing, "That was great! I really thought you were going for a more serious entrance! Way to throw me off guard!"

"Shut up," Chespin grumbled as Lycanroc lowered her arm to him and asked, "You alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," the chipmunk retorted as he pushed himself back up, ignoring her outreached paw and making his way over to the ring. With that in mind, the wolf nodded and followed close behind.

"Well, botched up entrance aside, these two still mean business," Yukiko stated, "And if they win this match, the villains will already be outnumbered for round two and without their leader, who's to say they'd even want to continue?"

'That's not gonna happen,' Ribombee thought, 'But even if, by some chance, Turtonator and Palossand lose this match, I'm not going to submit. Even if I end up fighting all four remaining heroes at once, I'll fight to the bitter end.'

Meanwhile, on the West coast, it seemed that the bleachers were more full as some of the people from the Eastern side had changed to this one. After all, most of them had only gone there to see Caterpie fight while others were beyond excited to see where Eevee's match would go, especially after Popplio had won despite coming so close to defeat.

"Alright, folks, it's now time for the second match in the West coast!" Yuki exclaimed, "Popplio's match with Wishiwashi was a close one, but let's see if the same will apply to this match!"

She then pointed to the right and stated, "In the red corner is one who, despite her size and her, um, type, has proven herself quite powerful! With speed and determination outmatched by many, Eevee!"

The crowd went wild as the fox raced toward the ring with water hoses wrapped around her body. Upon seeing this display, though, the crowd was now confused while she leapt toward the ring, spinning like a ballerina and causing the hoses to fly off of her. She then landed on her feet as the people shrugged and cheered for her once more.

'Oh, I get it,' Popplio thought with a smile, 'Because Salazzle is a fire type, you're implying that you intend to douse her. Interesting but not the best way to show it.'

Yuki blinked and thought, 'That was like something Machop would have done,' before shaking her head and exclaiming, "And in the blue corner, fighting for the side of evil is a scary-looking reptile to say the least. Sure to be just as fast as she looks, Salazzle!"

The salamander was currently on all fours as she crawled toward the ring, moving back and forth like a snake. And once she reached the side of the ring, she continued forward until she was right in front of Eevee. She then stood upright and gave Eevee an evil glance, the fox tensing up. The entrance had been very simple, but it was still intimidating.

Even so, Eevee had to be calm. After all, she had fought and defeated a tall and scary-looking bat. Compared to him, Salazzle was nothing.

Once the two fighters went to separate sides of the ring, Yuki nodded and stated, "Well, both fighters seem more than prepared for this. So without any more delay, let's begin!"

And with that, the woman rang the bell as Eevee waited for Salazzle to make the first move. The salamander, meanwhile, did not look the least bit intimidated as she thought, 'Oh, I see what you're doing. You're going to regret that.'

With that in mind, she went down on all fours once again and crawled quickly over to Eevee. The fox waited for just the right moment to strike, but was caught off guard when the salamander shifted behind her and latched her ankle with her tail. She then pulled just hard enough for the fox to fall forward on her chin.

The crowd gasped as Salazzle snickered and said, "You didn't think I was dumb enough to fall for such an obvious ploy, did you?" before rising to her feet while her tail turned red.

Steam started to rise from it as Eevee let out a loud cry of pain. And with her fully distracted, Salazzle whipped her tail forward thus flinging the fox back-first into the turnbuckle. Needless to say, Eevee was not off to a good start while Popplio groaned, "Come on, mon ami. You're better than this."

Eevee took a deep breath and ignored the pain before growling, "Don't think you've won yet! Now that I've seen you in action, I know exactly how to go about this!"

"Really, now?" Salazzle asked tauntingly, "Then go ahead and prove it," Eevee nodding as she realized waiting for the next strike was not as good an idea as she first thought.

Salazzle smirked and thought, 'This is even better,' but just as she was ready to fight back, Eevee dodged to the right and grunted, "You're not the only one who can move quickly!"

Before the salamander could respond, Eevee wrapped her arms around her to set her up for a suplex. But just as she was about to lift her up, her eyes widened when Salazzle easily slipped out of her grasp and flipped herself over. She then performed a handstand on Eevee's skull with on hand before flipping her body around and planting her feet into the fox's back.

The crowd stared in shock as Eevee fell forward onto her belly. And it only seemed to get worse when the salamander leapt toward her with her arm over her head, lighting her hand on fire. She then sent it hard into the fox's back and exclaimed, "PYRO CHOP!" putting a big burn in that exact spot as Eevee cried out in agonizing pain.

"Eevee just can't seem to a catch a break!" Yuki exclaimed, "Not only is Salazzle very fast, but she is also slippery, making her a difficult opponent to strike! Let's see if Eevee can get the upper hand!"

While this happened, Palossand was currently playing rock, paper, scissors with Turtonator to decide which of the two would go first. Ultimately, Turtonator won with paper as the sand castle gasped, "How did you do that, man!?"

"It's not that hard, sir," Turtonator sighed, "You're only able to use rock," Palossand looking at his hands and uttering, "Oh yeah. Though are you sure these can't double as paper? The crenellations kind of look like fingers."

"Do you want to delay this any longer?" Turtonator retorted as the sand castle sighed, "Fine, you're right. The sooner we start this, the better," sliding under the ropes and out of the ring.

Meanwhile, Lycanroc was about to suggest something similar only for Chespin to say, "I'm going first."

The wolf blinked and asked, "Are you sure?" the chipmunk nodding and replying, "Positive," not even giving a reason as the wolf nodded and said, "Well, if it gets too rough for you, I'm always here."

Chespin resisted the urge to mock her response while Caterpie exclaimed, "Kick his ass, Chespin!" the chipmunk nodding and giving him a thumb up.

Yukiko nodded and said, "Well, it seems a team mate has been chosen for each side. Therefor I think it's time to get this underway!" ringing the bell and signalling the start.

Chespin wasted no time racing toward Turtonator as the turtle readied a counterattack. However, the chipmunk easily saw this coming, dodged to the right and sent a roundhouse into his leg. This seemed to cause decent pain as he leapt up and sent a hard punch into the turtle's neck.

The crowd cheered wildly while he wrapped his feet around the same spot and used all his might to force Turtonator to fall forward. As such, his chin hit the canvas hard as the cheers were even louder.

"And Chespin's off to an incredible start!" Yukiko exclaimed, "While Turtonator may look strong, his size and shell seem to make him a rather slow opponent as Chespin takes full advantage of his exposed parts!"

"Yeah, way to go!" Lycanroc cheered while Chespin pretended not to hear her words and mounted himself onto Turtonator's shell. He then extended his bristles and wrapped them along with his arms around his neck, pulling up on it as Palossand chuckled and said, "I think now's a good time to stop playing possum, eh?"

"Wait, what!?" Chespin retorted before Turtonator sighed, "Yeah, I think I've seen enough."

With that in mind, his shell suddenly had a bright orange glow around it while it spun like a buzz saw, the turtle shouting, "SHELL TRAP!"

Chespin's eyes widened as he cried out in pain, releasing his hold and flying forward away from the turtle. He had a fairly big cut on his rear end while the crowd gasped. And it was about to get far worse as Turtonator rose to his feet and exclaimed, "FLAMING ANTEATER!" unleashing a rope of fire from his mouth and binding it to the chipmunk's neck.

This caused great pain as Chespin wheezed, Turtonator swinging him toward the turnbuckle and ramming the back of his head into it. The crowd was now concerned since these two hits alone seemed to deal more damage than all four of Chespin's moves so far.

Lycanroc gasped and held out her arm, shouting, "Chespin, tag me!" but the chipmunk breathed heavily and rose to his feet, grunting, "I'm fine! I know I can handle this, okay!?" the wolf uttering, "Okay, but if you start to really suffer, I'm here for you."

Caterpie all the while thought, 'I'm sure Chespin's fine. As soon as he gets really weak, he'll gladly accept her help, right?'

All the while, Eevee was back up and dodging an onslaught of karate chops. Salazzle smirked while the fox noticed an opening and slid under her, taking hold of her ankles and pulling hard. However, this did not seem to work at all as the salamander easily slipped out of her hold. Thus Eevee was now lying on her back with nothing to show for it.

"PYRO WHIP!" Salazzle exclaimed as her tail turned red. Thus she lifted it up and slapped it hard into Eevee's face and thus she cried out in pain, clutching onto that very spot and rolling back and forth.

The crowd cringed at the sight of this as Popplio had no idea what to say. After all, Eevee had so far done exactly what he would have done in all of these situations. How could she possibly defeat someone this fast and slippery?

However, she soon realized something she could do and thought, 'Alright, Salazzle, it's clear that grappling moves won't work. Unfortunately for you, I tend to rely more on direct attacks.'

And sure enough, once she got back up and the salamander headed back toward her, she spun around and sent a kick toward her side. However, Salazzle easily saw this coming and shifted her body backward, the fox's eyes and mouth wide with shock as her ankle was soon caught. And to make matters worse, the salamander twisted it while her hands had turned red, thus she wound up leaving an Indian burn while Eevee cried out in pain, losing balance and falling on her side.

The crowd was mortified as Yuki said, "While Eevee's new strategy seemed like the most logical, Salazzle still managed to dodge it. And let me tell you, I remember my first Indian burn and I know just how painful it can be. I can't help but sympathize with poor Eevee right now."

The fox tried her hardest to get up and ignore the burn, but Salazzle would not allow it as she took hold of both her ankles and lifted her up. Once again, her hands turned red as steam emitted from them, Eevee crying out in pain until she was sent flying toward the turnbuckle.

But just as she was about to make contact, her eyes widened when she remembered exactly how she had defeated Clawitzer. Now was the time to try something similar since she could think of nothing else that could work.

With that in mind, she held out her arms and grabbed hold of the pole as Salazzle stared in shock. And things only got better when the fox swung around and flung herself toward the salamander, planting her feet hard into her chest.

Salazzle's eyes and mouth widened as she fell on her back, the crowd going wild while Eevee sent an axe kick into the same spot she had just hit. She then leapt away and smirked, saying, "While grabbing you may not work, I figured a direct attack would make all the difference. Lucky for me you didn't see that one coming."

Popplio smiled wide and said, "Of course. As long as Eevee comes up with more creative and unpredictable ways to hit Salazzle, she won't be able to respond to any of her attacks. I just really hope she can keep that up."

Salazzle, however, did not look the least bit annoyed or shaken up as she rose to her feet with a smile. She then gazed into Eevee's eyes and said, "Good. It would have been boring if you couldn't come up with some way to pose an actual challenge. Even so, I can guarantee you won't land another hit."

All the while, things continued to look bad for Chespin as he leapt at Turtonator only to receive a hard punch to the face. And as he skidded across the mat, the turtle walked over to Palossand and asked, "You want a turn, sir?"

"Oh, yeah, man," the sand castle replied with a big smile as the two villains shared a high five, Palossand seeping into the ring while Turtonator climbed over the ropes.

Chespin groaned and rose to his feet, trying his hardest not to feel intimidated. After all, Palossand did not have a hard shell to protect himself, so if anything, he should have been much easier to defeat than Turtonator.

With that in mind, he raced toward Palossand before leaping forward and grabbing onto his arm with his bristles, arms and legs. Before the sand castle could even response, he was soon pulled down, thus his face hit the canvas hard, the crowd cheering as he collapsed into a pile of sand.

"I knew it!" Chespin exclaimed, "You're ten times easier than your partner!" only for Ribombee to smirked and remark, "Oh, you're gonna regret doing that."

The chipmunk blinked and uttered what are you-?" his eyes widening when he felt two hands clutching onto his feet. And when he turned, sure enough, the pile of sand was now right under him as it rose up to form the sand castle again, only for whatever reason, his arms now looked like normal human ones.

And sure enough, Chespin soon found himself slammed hard against the mat while Palossand laughed, "Surprise, man! You thought just because I don't have a shell like Turtonator, that means I'm weak, right? Well, they don't call me the leader for nothing! While I am light, I am also made of sand, meaning I can take on many different forms!"

With that in mind, he proceeded to form a large pair of legs before walking toward Chespin, soon standing right over him. He then retracted his new parts and reformed his lower body into an arch, shouting, "SAND BRIDGE!"

The crowd gasped when Chespin found himself trapped underneath the middle of the arch, coughing up blood when it hit his gut. The other two sides, however, had crumbled upon hitting the canvas so Palossand could lower himself enough for this to work. Needless to say, things could not have looked worse for Chespin as Lycanroc stared with helplessness.

Right now, she just wanted to rush in there and help, but she knew the rules of a tag team match. She could not go in there without first tagging the chipmunk, and even if he wanted to switch with her, he could not reach her right now.

Luckily, though, it seemed as if Chespin could still get out of this as he grunted, "Are you kidding!? You may be strong, but you're also a lot lighter!" but just as he was about to lift Palossand off of him, the castle turned to Turtonator and nodded. As such, the turtle exclaimed, "FLAMING ANTEATER!"

He whipped out his tongue and wrapped it around the entire castle. The crowd gasped as not only could they not believe that the tongue was this long, but they had no idea what the villains hoped to accomplish with this.

Yukiko blinked and uttered, "And in a shocking turn of events, Turtonator is burning his own ally," Palossand laughing, "Oh, seriously!? I thought for sure someone would figure out what I'm doing!" Chespin's eyes widening as he spat, "OH MY GOD, YOU HAVE THAT ABILITY!?"

And sure enough, after a few more seconds, Palossand's entire body had solidified and turned into glass. As such, he had become much heavier as Chespin could no longer lift up. Thus he was once again trapped as he cried out in agonizing pain, Caterpie and Lycanroc both in extreme panic.

"Oh my god!" Yukiko gasped, "And it would seem that Turtonator's extreme heat has only made things easier for Palossand! And, yeah, he's right. That should have been obvious."

Chespin groaned and shifted back and forth, trying his hardest to squeeze out. Unfortunately, Palossand in his current state was far too heavy. Thus it would take a true miracle for the chipmunk to escape.


	26. Chapter 26

Eevee had managed to get the upper hand after taking in all sorts of hits. Unfortunately, Salazzle was not the least bit intimidated. But even so, now that the fox knew she could land a hit against such a fast and slippery opponent, there was no way she would back down.

With that in mind, she waited for another opportunity to rise when Salazzle went down on all fours and crawled toward her once again. The fox narrowed her eyelids and thought, 'I know exactly what she's gonna try this time.'

But just as she was prepared for Salazzle to creep behind her again, the salamander smirked and propelled herself off the mat, her skull turning red as she exclaimed, "PYRO BULLET!"

Eevee's eyes widened when she took the headbutt to her gut, coughing up a bit of blood. And it only got worse when Salazzle took full advantage of this by engulfing her hands in flames and barking, "PYRO CHOP!" sending a few karate chops into the fox's face.

Eevee tried blocking them with her paws, but this only wound up causing those pain until Salazzle took hold of her wrists. Popplio was about to give up hope when he saw something Eevee could do. Thus he positioned himself upright in his seat and barked, "Eevee, kick her!"

The fox's eyes widened before she frowned and lifted up her legs. Salazzle blinked and stared in shock when both feet were planted into her gut. This dealt just enough pain for her to let go and back up, Eevee breathing heavily before blowing on her burning wrists.

"And just as it looked like Eevee would still be defeated, she manages to pull through by turning her opponent's tactics against her," Yuki stated as she thought, 'Yeah, this was my favourite thing about these matches, those comebacks the heroes would always pull off in the worst of situations. Maybe I should quit and go back to this.'

Eevee smirked as she refused to let it end there, asking, "So, what was that about me not hitting you again throughout this entire match?" before leaping forward and planting her paws into Salazzle's shoulders.

The salamander fell on her back before Eevee sent a kick into the same spot she hit earlier. The crowd went wild while she leapt away from her, sighing with relief. And all the while, Popplio gave her a round of applause as Salazzle gritted her teeth.

'Despite her size, she's actually quite strong,' she thought, 'I was hoping I wouldn't have to rely on this, at least not yet, but I can't let her get the advantage again.'

With that in mind, Salazzle crawled toward Eevee again. The fox turned to Popplio who nodded and barked, "Jump in the air right now!"

The fox returned the gesture and did just that, Salazzle crawling right under her. Eevee smirked and planted both of her feet into the salamander's back. The crowd cheered only for the Salazzle to smirk and say, "Unfortunately for you, I wanted you to do this."

"Wait, what?" Eevee uttered as Salazzle lifted up her tail and turned the tip red, ramming it into her back. As such, the fox flew forward and landed in front of her, leaving her legs wide open while the salamander opened up her mouth and spat, "POISONOUS JAWS!" biting the left one.

Eevee winced in pain before prying her leg away from her, breathing heavily as Salazzle snickered and rose to her feet. Everyone stared in shock when a purple fog seeped from her gums. Thus she explained, "Unfortunately for you, I'm not just a fire type. I'm also a poison type. The move I just used is one I save for opponents I deem worthy enough, and surprisingly, you actually are worth it."

Eevee and Popplio both stared at the salamander in horror until the fox squeaked, "ARE YOU TELLING ME I'M GONNA DIE!?" only for Salazzle to reply, "Oh no, my toxins aren't deadly enough to kill you. However, you will find yourself feeling weaker with each minute that passes, so you'd better try to take me down before the poison makes you completely helpless against me."

While it was relieving that Eevee would not die from the poison, this was still bad. Just as she had finally figured out how to hit Salazzle, it seemed as if that would mean nothing in a matter of minutes.

And of course, Chespin did not have it much better as he was still trapped under Palossand, Turtonator saying, "It's kind of a shame, really. I actually wanted to see what that wolf was capable of."

Palossand nodded and sighed, "It is a pity, but this needed to be done. Hey, how's about you come in here and help me finish this guy off faster?"

Ribombee smirked at Caterpie and said, "I've gotta hand it to your friend there. He at least has skills, unlike you, but let's face it. He was never truly prepared to take on either of these two."

"Shut up!" Caterpie retorted, "I'm sure Chespin can get out of this! He got burned during a match and still won!"

Unfortunately, it really did seem as if Chespin was done for when Turtonator climbed over the ropes, Lycanroc gasping, "HEY, HE'S BREAKING THE RULES!"

Yukiko nodded and stated, "While this would normally be a violation of tag team rules unless stated otherwise, during a match between good and evil, this sort of thing doesn't really apply. Therefor Turtonator is allowed to step in at the same time as his partner without any consequences."

The crowd gasped as Caterpie uttered, "You know, I've heard about something like this," before barking, "Lycanroc, she's telling the truth! There was a time ages ago when Machop and her friends had to fight in four tag team matches against a group of villains! Throughout the first three matches, both teams would constantly have one member step in at the same time as the other without getting in trouble, including the heroes!"

Lycanroc gasped as she watched Turtonator lift up Palossand and slam him down into Chespin's gut. As such, she narrowed her eyelids, bore her fangs and growled, "Well, if they're gonna resort to cheap tactics, so will I!"

With that in mind, she immediately climbed onto the top rope and leapt off of it with her claws out. She then spun like a drill and shouted, "WOLF BULLET!" Turtonator's eyes widening when he took her claws to his forehead. Said part came open and he fell on his back. And since he was a turtle, he naturally struggled to get up.

Palossand stared in shock as Lycanroc turned around and delivered a rolling sobat to his face. This filled his body with cracks and thus he reverted back to his sand form and fell on his back. Just like before when Chespin slammed him to the mat, he turned into a pile of sand before reverting to normal.

The crowd cheered wildly as Yukiko sighed, "And just in the nick of time, Lycanroc races into the ring and saves her partner," the wolf holding her hand out toward Chespin and asking, "You alright?"

Chespin slowly pushed himself up, ignoring her hand and grunting, "Yeah, I'm fine," as Lycanroc stared silently at him. After the way she had saved him from failure or possibly worse, that was all he had to say?

But before she could question this, Turtonator's shell glowed a bright orange while the blades from before formed on it. He then used them to spin in a circle as he pushed himself toward the wolf and rammed his tail into her legs, shouting, "TAIL SAW!"

This caused the back of her legs to come open as she yowled in pain, Palossand taking on the form of a top and spinning toward her. And sure enough, Lycanroc was unable to react in time, thus she and Chespin took a hit to the cheek, both flying toward the ropes.

When they bounced off, Turtonator finally managed to right himself up as Palossand leapt onto his back, saying, "Let's show them more of our combined strength," the turtle nodding and spinning his shell while the two exclaimed, "SHELL SANDSTORM!"

And sure enough, a strong wind picked up thus transforming Palossand into the very natural phenomenon they had just named. As a result, Chespin and Lycanroc were pelted with rough sand and seashells, both landing on their backs. But while Chespin was able to recover, Lycanroc was twitching all over.

'Dammit!' Caterpie groaned, 'Even with all her training, she still hasn't developed a high resistance to pain! But at least Chespin can help her up.'

It looked as if the chipmunk might very well do that when he turned to Lycanroc with concern. But just as he was about to do so, he hesitated. But why?

He had no time to think about that when Palossand reverted to his regular form behind him. And before the chipmunk could respond, the castle wrapped his arms around him and said, "Hey, you should pay attention to your opponent, man."

With that in mind, he lifted Chespin up and barked, "SHOVEL SUPLEX!" ramming his skull into the shovel atop his head. This caused him extreme pain as the castle hurled him into Lycanroc's gut, the wolf's eyes wide with shock.

But while Palossand and Turtonator gave one-another a high five, Lycanroc slowly sat upright and asked, "Are you okay, Chespin?" the chipmunk gasping and leaping off of her, breathing heavily. However, he cleared his throat and put on a more serious look, grunting, "Yeah, of course I am! Why wouldn't I be!?"

Palossand chuckled at the sight of this and whispered, "Look at them, Turtonator. Even though they're allies, Chespin doesn't seem to realize it."

Turtonator nodded and sighed, "Yeah. A lack of harmony between allies can lead to a whole army's downfall during a battle. You made the right call pairing them up."

Now that Eevee knew she would have to finish off Salazzle more quickly, she was no longer able to think straight. As such, she raced toward the salamander and attempted to strike her. Salazzle easily saw this coming and dodged to the side, sending a Pyro Chop into the back of the fox's neck.

It did not end there as she heated up her tail and whipped Eevee's back, shouting, "PYRO WHIP!"

The fox rubbed that very spot with light tears in her eyes, Popplio groaning, "Oh non! This is terrible! If she takes her time, she'll take too long and succumb to the poison! But if she keeps fighting like she is now, she won't get the advantage back!"

Eevee frowned and tried to ignore the pain to her back while she sent a back kick toward Salazzle. Unfortunately, this ended with the same result as the salamander grabbed onto her ankle, twisting it thus putting another Indian burn on her. As such, Eevee let out a loud cry of pain and fell forward on her chin.

"Well, look at that," Salazzle said in a mocking tone, "All it took was a little poison to get you to stop thinking logically. And it should start taking effect right about now."

Sure enough, she was right as Eevee winced. Her eyelids started to drop slightly while she thought, 'Okay, it's not too bad yet. I can still turn this around. Salazzle thinks she's got me, but she's wrong.'

With that in mind, the fox planted her paws against the mat and propelled herself upward, planting both of her feet into Salazzle's gut. As such, she backed up and grunted, "Of course, the toxins are only in their first stage. That means I'll still have to keep my guard up."

Popplio grinned and shouted, "Look, Eevee, what you just did was very smart! Keep fighting logically and hopefully, you can win before the poison takes its full effect! I know it's alarming, but try to keep a level head!"

Eevee bit her lower lip and thought, 'He's right. Maybe if I can at least get one of my best moves in within the next minute, I can finish her off for good.'

"That's a nice way of thinking, but there's no way you'll be able to pull it off," Salazzle remarked as she once again crawled toward Eevee. And since the poison had started to take effect, Eevee had less concentration than before.

As such, she was unable to respond when Salazzle wrapped her tail around her ankle, flinging her toward the ropes. However, Eevee saw this as a perfect opportunity, thus she smirked and thought, 'Yes! This is the chance I need!'

As such, she mustered up enough strength to roll up into a ball, bouncing off the ropes and shouting, "FLYING FOX WHEEL!"

The crowd smiled wide as Salazzle's eyes widened. She then thought, 'Oh shit,' and took a hard blow to her chest. And for the first time in the entire match, she coughed up blood and fell on her back, her arms and legs spread out while Eevee reverted back to her normal state, breathing lightly and rubbing her temple.

'That took a lot out of me,' she thought as the crowd broke out into heavy cheers and applause, 'And I don't have much time left until stage two starts. But it's okay, because there's no way in Hell she'll get up from that.'

However, when the cheers died down, her eyes widened when she slowly turned to Salazzle and trembled. Sure enough, the salamander had managed to get up, though she looked rather weak while she took many deep breaths. But even so, this was hardly something to celebrate as Eevee felt a pulse in her head, clutching onto her temple and letting out a loud cry.

"Oh non!" Popplio groaned while pulling his cheeks down, "She was so close!" Yuki stating, "Eevee made quite the comeback with that powerful wheel move of hers, but it seems that Salazzle is still able to stand as her poison enters its second stage."

Eevee's eyelids dropped even more as Salazzle smirked and said, "I have to admit, that was very impressive. I've heard of your Flying Fox Wheel, how it's the first finishing move you ever came up with. And while it is certainly powerful, it'll take a lot more than that to defeat me. I'll admit, you were a much better opponent than I expected, but this match is mine."

As much as it pained Eevee, she was starting to believe it. As far as she could tell, she had done the best she could have during that minute. Now that the poison was starting to take full effect, how could she possibly get another advantage like that?

And of course, things were not going better for Chespin and Lycanroc. While things had looked up a little bit when the wolf joined in, that brief moment of hope left them when Chespin refused to work with her thus putting them back at a disadvantage.

With this in mind, Turtonator focused on the chipmunk's gut and sent his tongue out, shouting, "FLAMING ANTEATER SPEAR!"

However, just as Chespin was about to take in the hit, Lycanroc leapt in front of him and took the strike to her chest, coughing up blood. The chipmunk along with the audience gasped as she was once again on her back, trying her hardest to ignore the extreme pain.

"Why did you do that!?" Chespin snapped, "We both know you can't handle pain as well as I can!"

"Yes, I know," Lycanroc uttered with a light grin, "But you've taken in far more damage than I have. I'd rather not do this alone. We're a team, after all."

Chespin stared briefly before letting down light tears and sniffing, "Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" rubbing his eyes with one arm as Caterpie sighed, "Finally."

Lycanroc, however, looked confused and uttered, "What are you-?" only for the chipmunk to sigh, "Lycanroc, I really want to be friends with you, but even after more than a month, I never got over my loss to you."

"What!?" the wolf retorted as he groaned, "It's so pathetic! I've wanted to treat you like a friend ever since you joined the group, but every time I look at you, all I can think about is my loss to you!"

Palossand laughed and said, "Oh man, this is just sad," Turtonator uttering, "Are you sure we should let them continue this conversation?"

"But I don't understand," Lycanroc replied, "Popplio defeated you as well and yet you seem happy with that," Chespin remarking, "That was back when I was evil and needed to be taught a lesson. You defeated me after I turned good. I was fighting to help save Tokyo, but deep down, I'm not even mad at you. I'm more angry with myself for allowing that to happen."

Lycanroc gasped as she could not believe it, though she did feel slightly relieved. Even she was starting to believe he secretly hated her, so to hear that certainly put her mind at ease. But even so, there was one question on her mind.

"Why didn't you tell anyone?" the wolf asked, "I could have helped," Chespin groaning, "I didn't want to make you upset because it's just so unfair to you! You were being manipulated! You only did what you thought was right! I shouldn't resent you for that! I don't deserve to fight alongside you!"

However, his eyes widened when Lycanroc rested a paw on his shoulder and said, "It's okay. The important thing is you realized your mistake before it was too late. Now come on. Let's give these two a taste of teamwork."

Chespin nodded and wiped his tears. A big smile formed on his face as he shook her paw, the audience letting out a collective 'Aw' while Caterpie nodded his head in approval. But even so, there was no way Turtonator would allow this as he growled, "Sir, they're working together now!"

Palossand nodded and remarked, "Too bad it's far too late," as he shifted into his top form and spun toward the heroes.

Seeing this, Chespin and Lycanroc nodded at one-another before leaping up and sending two simultaneous rolling sobats into the sand castle's face. This resulted in him dropping his form and backing away from them while Turtonator whipped his fiery tongue out.

Lycanroc easily dodged it as Chespin leapt toward the turtle. He then extended his bristles and planted them into his neck, latching his arms and legs to it as well. However, he knew he could not pull off what he had planned alone and thus Lycanroc sped behind Turtonator and placed her paws firmly against his shoulders, digging her claws into them.

The turtle's eyes were wide with horror as both heroes lifted him into the air and leaned backward, a dark wind surrounding Lycanroc while they shouted, "MIDNIGHT NEEDLE SUPLEX!" planting the back of Turtonator's neck into the canvas.

The crowd went wild as Yukiko exclaimed, "And after many close calls, Lycanroc and Chespin finally get the advantage by combining two of their strongest attacks! They might very well stand a chance after all, folks!"

While Turtonator lay on his back and rubbed his neck, Chespin and Lycanroc gave one-another a high five when Palossand rose back up. But rather than looking annoyed or alarmed, he seemed to be in good spirits as he said, "Well, it's so nice that you've finally put your differences aside. Unfortunately, it's too little, too late, because those hits mean nothing to me."

Upon hearing this, Chespin frowned and grunted, "Come on, let's take him down together!" Lycanroc nodding with a grin. But just as they were ready to unleash another team move, Palossand took on the form of a steamroller and exclaimed, "SANDROLLER!"

Neither hero was in the least bit alarmed by this as they leapt up into the air with the intent of striking the sand castle's face again. Unfortunately, Turtonator would not allowed this while he regained focus and whipped out his tongue, shouting, "FLAMING ANTEATER!"

Chespin and Lycanroc cried out in pain, the crowd gasping when the tongue wrapped around each one's ankle, putting small burns there. And this ultimately distracted them just long enough for Palossand's roller to ram into them, causing them both to cough up blood and fly backward. And when their backs hit the canvas and no more movement could be seen from either, the final result of this match was clear.

Yukiko let out a disappointed sigh as Ribombee smiled wickedly and said, "Go on, Miss, say it."

The announcer nodded and lifted up her gavel. She then rang the bell and stated, "And despite getting the upper hand at the last second, Chespin and Lycanroc were just no match for these two powerhouses! Therefor Palossand and Turtonator have won this match!"

"NO!" Caterpie cried, clasping his cheeks with his upper arms as he rose up from his seat and raced toward the ring. As embarrassing as his loss was, at least he still had the strength to recover. He could just tell it was not the same case for Lycanroc and Chespin.

Now it was all down to Eevee to at least make sure they had more than one ally left to combat Palossand's group. But with the condition she was in, could she possibly pull that off?


	27. Chapter 27

While Popplio's victory over Wishiwashi had been uplifting, things were still looking bad. Both Chespin and Lycanroc had been defeated and right now, Eevee was feeling incredibly weak thanks to Salazzle's toxins filling her veins. If she was unable to at least ignore them, the seal would be on his own for sure.

Salazzle smirked and said, "Well, now that I no longer have to worry about you being a challenge, I guess I don't have to put in the effort anymore."

She slowly approached Eevee who growled and sent her palm toward her face. But as expected, she was feeling too weak to make the move quickly as Salazzle allowed it to tap her on the chest, saying tauntingly, "Good job. I almost felt that."

Eevee groaned and received a palm punch from Salazzle to her own chest. And while she had not powered herself up with heat again, this still dealt considerable pain, thus the fox winced and backed up. She breathed heavily while the salamander raced toward her with her arm stretched out, the part in question turning red.

"MELTING ROD!" Salazzle exclaimed as she rammed it hard into Eevee's neck, causing her to cough up blood while she fell on her back, holding onto the spot that had been hit and rolling back and forth.

Popplio winced at the sight of this and barked, "Come on, Eevee! I'm sure you can still fight back! It's not like the poison's deadly!"

"It may as well be," Eevee remarked in a weak tone, not even sure if she should try to get up at this point, "I can't focus. Right now, my head hurts and I feel like I may pass out at any moment even if Salazzle doesn't land another hit. Just promise that you'll defeat her," coughing up a bit of blood.

"What are you saying!?" Popplio retorted as Eevee gave him a weak smile and uttered, "It's time. I mean, you still got Chespin and Lycanroc. If they haven't already defeated their opponents, I'm sure they will soon. And besides, while Caterpie may be boastful at times, I'm sure he won his match too."

At that moment, Yuki had a note handed to her as she read it over and gasped. As such, she took hold of the microphone and stated, "Bad news from the East coast, ladies and gentlemen! It seems that all three heroes fighting there have been defeated! That means Eevee and Popplio are the only ones left who can fight for Tokyo's freedom!"

"QUELLE!?" Popplio spat as even he could not hide his fear, his flippers pressed up against his cheeks and his jaw dropped.

He was not sure if he could defeat four villains by himself. After all, not only had he lost before, but it was not as if he had never had trouble defeating any of his opponents up to this point. Even his fight with Doduo on Hero Planet was hard.

But of course, the one most shaken up was Eevee. And despite the poison having just entered its third stage, she could not allow herself to lose. Thus she ignored the effects and propelled herself up toward Salazzle. And sure enough, the salamander was unable to respond as the fox sent both of her feet hard into her chin, knocking her on her back.

The crowd cheered as Eevee smiled lightly. Unfortunately, she felt a ringing in her ear shortly afterwards and pressed her paw up against it. And to make matters worse, Salazzle was still able to rise to her feet as she growled, "It seems like you still have fight in you after all."

With that in mind, she was no longer in the mood to mess around with Eevee. She just wanted to end this right now and make sure Tokyo's chances would look even worse than they already did.

However, Eevee refused to allow the poison to weaken her anymore as she swerved to the right just in time, sending a roundhouse into Salazzle's ribcage. The crowd could not believe what they were seeing, Yukiko beaming and exclaiming, "And despite her huge disadvantage, Eevee is still giving it her all! Though this certainly wouldn't be the first time something like this has happened!"

Salazzle's eyes widened as she retorted, "What!?" Yukiko adding, "It was actually recorded a long time ago that the legendary Riolu was in a match with one known as Seviper in which he was also poisoned. Despite all of that, he still pulled through and won, receiving an antidote for his troubles. And while this was not broadcast anywhere, it's also gone on record that Delphox fought a villain named Ariados. The poison she was hit with was very similar to the one impacting Eevee in that it wasn't deadly, but it did make her feel weak. However, despite all of that, she still managed to pull through!"

Hearing this story alone gave Eevee a burst of confidence as she gritted her teeth and grunted, "If they could do it, so can I!" clenching her fists as if the poison no longer effected her.

'What!?' Salazzle thought while trembling and backing away from the fox, 'This can't be right! No amount of confidence should be able to overpower poison! It makes no sense in any way, shape or form!'

However, she refused to allow Eevee to win. Thus she turned her entire body red, growling, "This takes all of my energy, but if it means ending this once and for all, I'm willing to take that chance!" steam shooting out of her as she went down on all fours and charged toward the fox, barking, "BOILER RUSH!"

However, Eevee suddenly got an idea and leapt backward toward the ropes, pressing her feet against them. Though it seemed she was not planning on using her Flying Fox Wheel again as she held her paws forward in the form of fists and spun like a drill.

Soon enough, she made contact with Salazzle's skull and squealed, "SPINNING FOX TACKLE!" the crowd gasping as she was somehow able to match the salamander's might.

However, since Salazzle was a lot less focused due to her frustration, Eevee was ultimately able to overpower her. Thus she let out a loud cry of pain while her forehead took in a great deal of pain. She then flew backward toward the ropes, resting her arms on them and breathing heavily.

The crowd watched in silence and prayed that this was it. And after a few seconds, this seemed to be the case when Salazzle's head tilted to the side, her tongue sticking out and her eyes wide open.

After a few seconds, Yuki nodded and rang the bell, exclaiming, "And after a very close match, Eevee is our winner!" the crowd going wild as the fox's eyes sparkled. But just as she was about to bask in the glory, her eyelids lowered and she fell on her back, breathing heavily.

Popplio gasped and immediately raced from his seat to the ring. He then made his way over to Eevee and asked, "Are you alright, mon ami?"

"Yeah, I'll be okay," Eevee uttered as she coughed a bit, "It took a lot to ignore that for as long as I did, but it's not deadly, so I'm sure it'll ware off."

Popplio nodded and sighed, "Let me guess, that new move was created by a relative?" as Eevee nodded and explained, "Great Grandma Jolteon invented it as a way to improve upon the signature move of Pikachu's. See, he used something called Volt Tackle to defeat Horsea, but she managed to make it better by putting her own spin on it. Though her version involved her being covered in electricity."

"Either way, it was incroyable," Popplio replied, Eevee finally closing her eyes so she could get in a good nap. She needed all the rest she could get, especially if she was expected to fight again soon.

Meanwhile, just like before, those on the East coast had seen the rest of Eevee's match on a big-screen monitor. As such, Ribombee folded her arms and thought, 'Now there's an opponent worthy of my skills.'

Turtonator whistled and said, "Damn, that fox is a lot tougher than she looks," as Palossand nodded and replied, "Yeah. I can see them both being a major challenge, but we can still handle them, right?"

The other two nodded while Yukiko sighed with relief and thought, 'At least there's still hope. I was really worried there.'

Caterpie, meanwhile, had a big smile on his face as he said, "Good job," before leaping into the back of an ambulance where Chespin and Lycanroc were resting.

With all said and done, a monitor turned on in the West coast as Popplio noticed Palossand's face, the castle explaining, "Well, folks, this has been an exciting first day, yeah? But there's still much more to come. As such, we will hold the next set of matches tomorrow morning. As for the match-ups, I've decided to take a load off, so Turtonator has agreed to fight the circus seal."

Turtonator nodded and said, "After seeing the way you handled Wishiwashi, I'm looking forward to it."

'Oh, of course, they must have a monitor too,' Popplio thought with his eyes narrowed while Ribombee flew in front of the camera and spat, "Eevee, you'd better make a full recovery by tomorrow! I was extremely underwhelmed by my fight with Caterpie, so you'd better be worth my time and effort!"

And with all said and done, the people were ready to return home as Popplio was off to the hospital in another ambulance with Eevee. After all, while she had won her match, she still had Salazzle's poison inside of her. If she was to truly stand a chance tomorrow, they would have to make sure the toxins were gone from her body for sure.

As for Salazzle, she was soon to join Wishiwashi in prison. With neither of her allies there to prevent her from being arrested, this seemed like a golden opportunity. The only downside was that they had to agree to let her out if Eevee and Popplio were defeated.

Once the heroes arrived at the hospital, Caterpie stayed by Lycanroc and Chespin's side to make sure they were fine. However, he turned away from them briefly when he noticed Eevee being wheeled into the same room with Popplio following the medics.

Luckily, after a good nap, the fox was awake as she smiled and said, "Hey, Caterpie. The others doing alright?"

The caterpillar sighed, "No. As you probably heard, they lost their matches," the fox nodding.

"I bet they both put up a really good fight, though," Popplio replied with a smile as Caterpie nodded and sighed, "It was rough, but they came very close near the end. But I just know you two can take care of the rest of them."

He then remembered something and uttered, "You haven't heard anything about how my match went, right?" Popplio replying, "Actually, someone posted a tweet of that. Turns out your entrance was so amazing, it went viral."

Caterpie gasped, "Really!?" whipping out his own cellphone and checking out the upload. However, while it had a great deal of views and likes, he was devastated by the comments.

"I love how pretentious this is," the caterpillar read aloud, "Puts on a big, extravagant performance. Gets his ass handed to him in no time. Our hero, everyone."

The caterpillar fell on his side with tears in his eyes as he whimpered, "Dad was wrong about me!" only for Popplio to laugh nervously and utter, "I'm sure you'll get more chances to prove yourself in the future," as Eevee resisted the urge to laugh.

Even so, Caterpie rose up and said, "Either way, you guys were awesome. I have no doubt in my mind that you got this."

Popplio nodded and replied, "Oui. That Turtonator looks tough, but I'm sure I can find a way to win," Eevee adding, "And there's no way Ribombee could be nearly as bad as Salazzle, even if she did-"

She stopped when Caterpie started to tear up again. As such, she laughed nervously before pretending to fall asleep. Besides, she still needed rest after all she had been through.

Popplio rolled his eyes and said, "She's right, though. One day, you'll get another shot and I'm sure you'll be incroyable."

Caterpie nodded and remarked, "Yeah, I will be. But promise you two will defeat the others so I can get that chance. I'll impress the world soon enough," holding up his phone again and adding, "Then they won't have a reason to write these scathing comments anymore!"

He was just about to laugh when he noticed a light smile form on Lycanroc's face. Even though she was not quite conscious yet, it was a relief to see even slight movement from her.

During this time, Mapin was training with Tapu Koko while still in Maui. The rooster charged at her with his mask covering his upper body once more only for the girl to leap to the side. Thus Koko emerged and smiled while the other members of his family applauded her.

"Good job," the rooster said as Mapin sighed, "There's gonna be a but to that, isn't there?"

Koko nodded and replied, "You're getting good at this, I see. But yes, while it's impressive that you used your head to evade my move, there is a way you could have countered it. Dodging your opponents is one thing, but if you can damage them at the same time, it's even more impressive."

"Okay," Mapin uttered with a shrug, "How do I counter your Wild Charge?" only for Koko to remark, "Your enemies wouldn't share such information with you, so I won't either. I expect you to figure it out on your own."

The girl lowered her eyelids while Bulu whispered, "Should I give her a hint?" only for Fini to shake her head.

Koko ultimately decided Mapin had trained enough today and thus the girl headed to the guest room to rest up. She was certain that once the five months were finally up, she would be more than ready to rejoin the group and prove herself worthy of fighting alongside them.

Before she lay down, though, she turned on a radio as an announcer stated, "And today in Tokyo, things have been a little rough for the heroes thanks to Palossand and his group."

Mapin's eyes widened until the man added, "But thanks to the efforts of Popplio and Eevee, there is still hope as I am certain they will win their next matches tomorrow."

Mapin turned off the radio and frowned. She knew she should have been happy to know that they had managed to keep Tokyo safe without her, and yet a part of her felt angered by this news. Whatever the reason, she would not let that distract her from her goal.

The day passed by as five in the afternoon rolled around. And as it so happened, there was no need to try and remove Salazzle's poison as it had slowly but surely worn off. And of course, Eevee could not have been happier as she exited the hospital with Caterpie and Popplio by her side.

"You know, there was a part of me worried I may spend the rest of my life with that in my system," she stated, "Constantly feeling weak and never being able to fight again."

The other two noticed a perky look on her face while she said this, Popplio uttering, "You know, Eevee, most people wouldn't be so happy to say something like that."

"I know," the fox replied with her paws resting against the back of her neck, "It's just such a relief, you know. Not only that, but I feel so good about my match tomorrow. I beat an opponent who was faster than me and too slippery to grapple. I bet I could even take on that Turtonator guy!"

Caterpie tensed up and uttered, "Might not wanna get ahead of yourself on that. That guy has a tongue made of fire," as Popplio chuckled lightly and said, "Maybe it's a good thing I'm fighting him instead."

And with all said and done, Caterpie offered to have his servants make the others a congratulatory meal. However, both declined as they would have much rather had the whole group together for such a thing. Even Eevee was surprisingly mature about that, and Popplio could not have been more proud.

However, when Popplio agreed to help her train in his back yard again, she was more than up for that. After all, he was still the only one who really knew how to train her, especially since he was the only current member who saw how she used to fight.

Both fighters trained for an hour, and when they were done, Popplio agreed to make dinner for the both of them. Thus he worked on a fancy Japanese fish meal while Eevee sat at the table in anticipation, squealing, "Wow, a kitchen and a dining room rolled into one. This is the greatest idea ever."

"I don't know about that," Popplio replied with a light chuckle, "But it is nice to have a dinner table set up in the kitchen, anyway. That way I walk a shorter distance to eat."

He soon put the finishing touches on it and served Eevee a plate. Of course, he had also added a few greens so they could consume a bit of fibre as well. And needless to say, the fox found the smell alone heavenly.

When she took a bite of the fish, her eyes lit up as she sighed, "Wow, you're a natural!" before murmuring, "I wish I was this good. All I can do is make salads and cook rice."

"I could teach you a few recipes sometime," Popplio replied, "If it wasn't for the fact that you can make salads, I'd be much more worried about your nutrition seeing as you make most of your own dinners."

Eevee shot him an odd look before smiling and replying, "Thanks. You're such a good friend. I'm not gonna lie, I miss a lot of the people back in Bangkok. But I've met a lot of nice people here and, well, you're always looking out for me. I don't know how I deserved someone as awesome as you."

Popplio blushed lightly and scratched the side of his head, replying, "Well, we're all copains. That's the French word for friends, in case you're wondering."

"So you have an entirely different word for the plural of friend," Eevee uttered before snickering and saying, "That's another thing I like about you. You teach me a bit of French without even trying."

With all said and done, both enjoyed the next hour until Eevee was ready to head home and rest up. While their dinner conversation was nice, they knew they still had to focus on their upcoming matches tomorrow. After all, Ribombee and Turtonator were tough, and there was also the fact that if they did defeat both of them, they still had Palossand to deal with. It would be difficult, but they were certain they could manage.


	28. Chapter 28

After a good night's sleep, it was time for Eevee and Popplio to face off against their next opponents. They knew it would be hard, but they were certain they could do this. And with Eevee having recovered a lot more quickly than expected, she was more than ready to face Ribombee.

As such, both heroes arrived at the beach as of course the bleachers for both coasts had already been filled. While there had been more on the Eastern side yesterday, after having heard of how exciting the matches on the West coast were, much more people were interested.

Currently, Palossand was having a nice breakfast with the others when he spotted Eevee and Popplio. Thus he smiled and said, "Nice of you to join us bright and early again."

"Yeah, yeah," Eevee remarked, "I'm guessing both matches will take place at the same time again?"

"Already cutting to the chase, I see," Ribombee replied with her arms folded, "I can't argue with that. The sooner we win that slab, the sooner we can initiate our plan. So yes, sir, where will I fight?"

Palossand nodded and turned to a nearby camera before explaining, "Alright, folks, you already know the match-ups for today. Anyway, those who picked the East coast will get to enjoy the fight between Popplio and Turtonator. Meanwhile, the West coast will have Eevee squaring off against Ribombee. So depending on where you're sitting, I hope you get your favourite."

He then winked to the camera before Turtonator got up and said, "Thanks for rounding up all that fish for our breakfast. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a match to prepare for."

He then walked to a secluded area while Popplio nodded and smiled at Eevee, saying, "Knock them dead, mon ami."

The fox nodded and replied, "I'll be sure to do so," before heading off and thinking, 'Alright, once again, I won't have his advice to keep me on my toes. I just need to remember my training.'

Ribombee flew ahead of her toward the West coast full of confidence. While she knew Eevee would be a much bigger challenge than Caterpie, she still fully intended on doing her leader proud. After all, with the world full of people like the caterpillar, she wanted to take over just as much as the others.

As it so happened, Caterpie had decided to sit in the Western bleachers for a change of pace. However, when he saw Ribombee arrived, he blinked and thought, 'Looks like I made the right choice after all. I can warn Eevee about the moves she used on me.'

Just as the bug was ready to head off to prepare herself, she noticed him among the crowd and narrowed her eyelids. She then resumed her walk toward a secluded area and thought, 'Dammit, I should have dealt more pain to him! Oh well, once I defeat his ally in front of his face, he'll only feel more uncomfortable.'

Eevee soon entered the area as well when she spotted Caterpie and waved at him with a big smile. The caterpillar nodded and waved back as the fox soon took off to prepare herself. Just knowing one of her friends would be there to cheer her on put her mind at ease.

Yuki was once again behind the desk while she thought, 'Thank god there's at least one more match. I thought for sure yesterday would be the last time I'd get to do this again.'

She then cleared her throat and stated, "Alright, folks, it's almost time for the match between Eevee and Ribombee to take place! Don't forget, it'll start within the next half-hour, so if anyone needs to use a nearby outhouse, now's the time to do it!"

Those seated in the East coast had been told the same as Popplio performed a series of pushups with his tail in the air. While Turtonator certainly looked tough, there was no way the seal would allow him to win. After all, Eevee had pulled off a true miracle to give them more of a chance. He could not allow himself to waste that.

Palossand, meanwhile, had formed his lower body into a throne as he smiled and said, "This should be entertaining. Popplio, you got lucky yesterday, but you'll suffer the hand of defeat today."

Once the half-hour was up, it was finally time as Yukiko announced, "Ladies and gentlemen, today's match is just about to start! Both these fighters have proven themselves to be really powerful, but only one will come out on top! Let's just hope it's the hero who wins this time!"

She then pointed to the right and exclaimed, "In the red corner is a hero who not only convinced Chespin to fight for our safety but also defeated Wishiwashi! And while he did lose to Lugarugan, he still put up a very good fight! Popplio, everyone!"

The crowd went wild when the seal balanced himself atop a circus ball while heading toward the ring, only this time he was juggling flaming batons. And once he was close enough, he hurled them both into the air and leapt into the ring, pointing his chin up and catching the batons with his teeth.

The cheers were even louder now as even Palossand could not help but clap, exclaiming, "Hey, man, that was amazing! Even if you are the enemy, I can't help but admire real talent like that!"

"Uh, merci?" Popplio uttered as he was not used to that. But either way, he could not let this distract him, thus he put on a more serious look.

"And in the blue corner," Yukiko stated, "He has certainly proven himself a force to be reckoned with due to his strong shell and powerful techniques. Despite all their best efforts, he managed to defeat both Lycanroc and Chespin with some help from Palossand! Presenting Turtonator!"

The turtle folded his arms and marched toward the ring, finding it pointless to put on an elaborate show like the others. And once he was in the ring, he took a deep breath and said, "I gotta hand it to you, Popplio, the way you got around Wishiwashi's defence like that was impressive. Unfortunately, my body isn't anywhere near as weak as his was."

"I figured as much," the seal remarked with a scowl, "But either way, I'm still going to win this match. I intend to make up for the fall of my comrades."

Yukiko nodded and said, "Well, folks, the combatants are set. Let us begin," before ringing the bell.

Popplio held his ground and said, "You may have the first move," as Turtonator narrowed his eyelids and unleashed his tongue, shouting, "FLAMING ANTEATER!"

However, Popplio saw this coming and leapt to the side, thinking, 'So that's the tongue Caterpie warned moi about,' Turtonator shifting it toward the seal's direction.

Luckily, the seal was prepared for this as he slid toward the turtle and leapt up, ramming his tail hard into his cheek. The crowd cheered while Popplio leapt away just in time for Turtonator to send his tongue in that very direction. Thus he wound up striking himself as a light burn formed, a look of irritation in his eyes while he retracted it.

"I can see you're a lot smarter than your allies," Turtonator grunted while rubbing his cheek, "But don't think for a minute that a couple of good hits are enough to scare me."

During this time, the audience was restless by the West coast as Yuki announced, "Alright, folks, this is it! You've all waited patiently and now it's time for the West coast's third match!"

She then pointed to the right and stated, "In the red corner is a fox with lots of spirit! Despite the odds being stacked heavily against her, she still reined victorious over Salazzle! Give a round of applause for Eevee!"

The crowd was ready to cheer when they noticed Eevee was not there. Caterpie was about to question this when one member of the crowd directed everyone's attention to a silhouette above the ring. And sure enough, this was Eevee as she was being pulled by a crane with moth wings strapped to her back.

For the first time, no one had any idea how to respond to this while she was lowered gently onto the canvas. She then removed the wings when Caterpie uttered, "I think I get where she was going, but that was just underwhelming."

"Yeah, not like your pretentious Broadway performance yesterday," one audience member remarked as the caterpillar looked down and sighed.

"And in the blue corner," Yuki added, "Having defeated the son of Hero Planet's chairman, she is not to be taken lightly despite her adorable exterior. Introducing to the West coast Ribombee!"

The crowd watched while the bug floated gracefully toward the ring with her arms behind her back. And when she got close, she pointed toward the lifeguard of the beach who nodded and turned on a radio. Thus a beautiful melody came out as Ribombee performed a nice dance routine consisting of twirls, figure eights and many other aerial ballet moves.

She soon landed on one foot and bowed to the audience as, just like before, they resisted the urge to applaud and support her. After all, while her entrances were nice, she was still a villain.

This hardly mattered to her, though, as she smiled at Eevee and said, "I've been looking forward to this. I could tell from what little I saw from your match yesterday that you have earned your reputation. Even after being poisoned, you still overpowered Salazzle. But even so, I'm still going to defeat you and make my team proud."

Caterpie narrowed his eyelids and exclaimed, "Eevee, don't take her lightly! I know she looks weaker than your usual opponents, but she's not!"

"Well, that's probably the smartest thing I've heard him say," Ribombee quipped, "He's right. Even my own allies sometimes make cracks about my size, saying how shocked they are by how strong I can be. But mark my words, I am a terror in the ring!"

Yuki blinked and nodded before ringing the bell, not even bothering with an opening statement. With that in mind, the bug flew toward Eevee while the fox smirked. She did not even have to wait before implementing Popplio's usual tactics. And to make things even better, it seemed as if Ribombee would not be as hard to figure out as Salazzle was.

However, she was proven wrong when the bug immediately swerved to the right and delivered a roundhouse to her side. Eevee growled and sent a karate chop toward Ribombee only for her to fly over it and plant both of her feet into the fox's skull. The crowd watched with panic as the bug proceeded to latch onto Eevee's neck and fly high above the ring, flipping three hundred and sixty degrees and ramming her skull into the canvas.

"And already Ribombee is proving herself stronger than she looks," Yuki stated, "After delivering two kicks, she catches Eevee off guard and connects a powerful frankensteiner."

Caterpie stared in shock and spat, "Eevee, are you okay!?" the fox grumbling and rolling away from the bug. Her eyes were wide with shock as she thought, 'Just from those three hits, I can tell this isn't gonna be easy, but why? Those were far from the strongest moves I've ever felt. Noivern and Lugarugan were definitely stronger and so was Salazzle, so why do I already feel shaken up?'

She then shook her head while her mind added, 'I can't let that get me down. As long as I think straight, I'm sure I can catch her off guard the next time she attempts something like that.'

She would need to think quickly, though, as Ribombee flew toward her again. But just as the fox was about to retaliate, the bug flipped vertically toward her, planting both of her feet into her skull with enough force to knock her on her chin.

Caterpie trembled and stared with fear and concern. He could not believe it, but right now, Eevee was fairing even worse than he did.

And it was about to get much worse when Ribombee floated over Eevee's back and said, "I have to admit, I'm a little disappointed. After the way you defeated Salazzle, I was expecting much more of a challenge. But a win's a win, I guess."

As such, she lifted up one leg while keeping the other pointed downward, crossing her arms and twirling downward toward Eevee's back while shouting, "BALLET DROP!"

"EEVEE, WATCH OUT!" Caterpie spat as the fox gasped and immediately rolled out of the way. Ribombee's eyes widened as when her foot made contact with the canvas, her knee bent slightly.

The crowd stared in stunned silence as she let down a light tear, Eevee seeing a perfect opportunity and sending a rolling sobat into her cheek. She then latched her legs around the bug's neck and shifted them sideways, planting the back of her head into the canvas.

The silence turned into heavy cheers while Yuki said, "After taking in a surprisingly harsh beating, Eevee has finally gotten her chance," while the fox took a deep breath and thought, 'Her feet may be strong, but it seems her legs really are as delicate as they look. As long as I use this to my advantage, this might not be so bad.'

Meanwhile, Turtonator was on the defensive as Popplio sped toward him and sent his tail toward his ankle. However, the turtle saw this coming, immediately swung his own tail into the seal's and exclaimed, "TAIL SAW!"

At first, Popplio did not think too much of this until he noticed that very part start to open up. As such, he cried out in pain and fell on his back, rubbing the wound before Turtonator stomped on his belly.

"Did you seriously think the armour on my tail wasn't as sharp as it looks?" Turtonator grunted, "I'll have you know that was originally a blade! Some moron tried to use it on me, but it broke off its handle when it hit my shell. So I altered it a bit so I could slide it over my tail."

"I didn't think you could actually do that with a blade," Popplio grunted as the turtle sighed, "Well, in all honesty, it wasn't easy to make it fit like that, but I managed to pull it off."

"Yeah, show him how strong you really are, man!" Palossand cheered as Turtonator nodded and whipped out his tongue, latching it to Popplio's neck and shouting, "FLAMING ANTEATER!"

While his blubber provided some protection, the seal could not ignore the extreme heat coming from the tongue. But it did not end there as Turtonator hurled him high into the air and knelt down, shouting, "SHELL MOUNTAIN PEAKS!"

Popplio was unable to respond while Turtonator shifted his middle spikes upward to form a big one. And sure enough, the seal's belly hit it hard. Thus he coughed up blood as the shell had an orange glow around it, the crowd in deep panic for they knew what was coming next.

"SHELL TRAP!" Turtonator exclaimed as the part spun like a buzz saw, Popplio's back coming open down the middle while he gritted his teeth and forced himself off of the shell. However, just from those three hits alone, he could tell that this turtle was just as threatening as he looked. Thus he breathed heavily and thought, 'No wonder Chespin and Lycanroc lost. This guy's a nightmare. I'm not even sure if I can win this match.'

But even with this in mind, he knew he could not give up. As such, he chose to ignore the pain to his back and tail as Palossand clapped and shouted, "I gotta hand to you, man! You got guts!"

"Indeed," Turtonator said with his arms folded, "But even so, you'll be sure to meet the same fate as your friends. After all, that chipmunk only started to fare well against me when he was finally willing to work with his teammate, and even then, he still lost."

The seal took a deep breath and thought, 'That's why I can't surrender no matter what. Eevee fought to the bitter end and came out on top even when she had poison running through her veins. If she could pull that off, I can hold my own against someone as strong as you. Just you wait. I've now seen what you're capable of. You can't surprise me anymore.'

With that in mind, he rushed at Turtonator again. However, he was ready for this as he whipped out his tongue once more. But as luck would have it, the seal knew he would try this and rolled up into a ball, shifting to the right and evading the attack.

Turtonator's eyes widened while Popplio barked, "BOUNCING BALL STRIKE!" leaping up toward his face and ramming his tail into it. The crowd cheered when the turtle fell on his back, the seal taking full advantage of this and cupping his flippers together before ramming them into his neck.

However, he was not prepared for what happened next as a black star with a yellow rim suddenly appeared in the middle of Turtonator's carapace. And with Popplio right up against it, he could not help but feel frightened while the turtle smiled wickedly.

"You should feel honoured," he said, "You are the first opponent I have ever used this on," as Palossand blinked and uttered, "And I thought I knew everything about you."

Things got even worse when the star started to inhale a gust of wind, Popplio trembling with terror while Turtonator shouted, "BLACK STARFISH HOLE!"

The seal gripped onto Turtonator's neck for support. However, this hardly made a difference as the turtle whipped out his tongue and used it to smack Popplio's forehead. As such, the seal was unable to hang on and soon found most of his body trapped in the star.

The crowd stared in horror as Turtonator rose to his feet and smirked, saying, "Now that you have no way of escaping, I may as well have a little fun," before forming fists and ramming them repeatedly into Popplio's face. How could he possibly escape from this?

But while things could not have looked worse to Popplio, Eevee seemed to be fairing much better now that she knew of Ribombee's weakness. Currently, the bug was headed toward her with her foot stretched out only for the fox to leap to the side. Thus Ribombee wound up hitting the turnbuckle as her leg once again bent inward, Eevee wrapping her arms around her sides and leaning backward.

"And Eevee sets up Ribombee for a suplex!" Yuki exclaimed while the bug thought, 'No, I'm stronger than this! There's no way I'm going to lose!'

As such, she spread out her arms in time for her hands to make contact with the canvas instead. And while her arms took in slight pain from this, she refused to let that get to her as she sent her feet downward into Eevee's chest.

Caterpie groaned in disappointment as the fox fell on her back, Ribombee wrapping her legs around her neck and saying, "You're certainly a lot more skilled than Caterpie, that's for sure. But even so, I can't allow you to win!"

With that in mind, she spread out her wings and flew high above the ring, Eevee trying her hardest to pry her legs off of her neck. Unfortunately, the bug refused to allow this and applied a tighter grip than usual. All her life, she wanted to be seen as stronger than her size indicated, and that included her skinny arms and legs. But no matter how hard she tried, she could never make them stronger. But right now, she had to ignore that.

As such, the bug spread her arms out as glitter flew briefly off of her wings. She then flipped herself upside-down with Eevee's head still trapped between her legs, descending toward the mat and shouting, "GRACEFUL DIVE!"

All went silent while she threw her legs downward, planting Eevee's face into the canvas. But it did not end there as Ribombee proceeded forward, dragging the fox along the mat and adding to the pain. Then once she was close to the turnbuckle, she flew upward and released her hold, allowing the fox's face to run straight into it.

Caterpie covered his eyes and whimpered, "I can't watch!" Yuki stating, "Eevee got the upper hand briefly, but Ribombee continues to prove herself stronger than she looks with a very elaborate move. Let's see if Eevee can make up for this."

"I'll make sure that doesn't happen," Ribombee retorted as she smirked and planted her feet into Eevee's. She then leaned forward and grabbed onto her chin, pulling up on it while the fox cried out in agonizing pain.

Needless to say, things did not look good for either side. Both heroes would have to figure something out otherwise they would lose for sure.


	29. Chapter 29

While both heroes had done well at the beginning of their matches, it currently looked bad as they were trapped by their opponents. Popplio was stuck inside of a star-shaped hole that appeared on Turtonator's carapace while Eevee had been caught in a complex and unexpected submission hold.

Popplio had taken in many blows to his head while Yukiko stated, "And Popplio's a sitting duck while he takes in a horrible onslaught. Is there nothing he can do to get out of this, folks? It really does seem impossible."

Popplio tried his hardest to push himself out, but the multiple blows to his face only made it harder for him to get out. All the while, Palossand laughed and held onto his sides before shouting, "Good show, Turtonator! I'm surprised you've never used this before! It's awesome and hilarious at the same time!"

'That's part of the reason I've never used it before,' the turtle thought as he put his onslaught on hold, Popplio breathing heavily and thinking, 'Non. I can't lose. I can't leave Eevee alone to deal with these two monsters. Besides, it's like I said before. I can't surrender no matter how bad this looks.'

As such, he placed his flippers against his sides and started to spin his body, Turtonator wiping sweat off his forehead and looking down. He then blinked and uttered, "What are you doing?" as the seal sped up his spin.

The crowd smiled and chanted his name as after a few more seconds, he managed to squeeze out of the hole while barking, "CIRCUS WINDMILL!" spreading out his flippers and slapping his tail hard against Turtonator's chest.

Due to this spot being quite strong, the turtle did not take in much pain from it, but he still took in some as it was weaker than the back of his shell. Thus he rubbed the spot lightly with a look of shock and terror in his eyes.

"How did you do that?" he uttered as Popplio glared at him and grunted, "Never underestimate a former circus performer!"

With that in mind, he leapt backward with his flippers spread out again and slapped his tail hard against Turtonator's face. And it did not end there as he exclaimed, "CIRCUS PINWHEEL!" spinning like the object in question and sending an array of slaps into the same spot.

Turtonator did his best to ignore the pain while he whipped out his tongue. Fortunately, Popplio saw this coming and leaned his body sideways just in time to evade it. And with that, his volley of attacks ended with one last strike from the tail as he distanced himself from the turtle with a grin on his face, the crowd cheering wildly.

"And with a miraculous escape, Popplio more than makes up for the damage dealt to him earlier with a barrage of tail strikes and slaps!" Yukiko exclaimed with excitement in her eyes, "It just goes to show that even in the worst of situations, anything is possible!"

Turtonator fumed and sent his tongue toward the seal only for him to dodge to the right, thinking, 'I hope you're doing better than I am, Eevee. I'm not sure how many more hits I can take.'

Eevee, however, was still trapped in Ribombee's hold. She had never felt so much pain to her back as the bug smirked and asked, "What's wrong? Can't squeeze out of those toothpicks I call arms?"

"Oh, for god's sake, is that what this is about!?" Caterpie groaned, "Come on, Eevee, you can get out of this! There's gotta be a weakness!"

'A weakness!' the fox thought as her eyes widened. As such, she did what in any other circumstance would have been seen as desperate and stupid and sent various punches upward and into Ribombee's arms. This resulted in her back bending more, but right now, this was the only option she had.

And after a few hits, it seemed to work as Ribombee bit her lower lip, light tears in her eyes while she uttered, "Doesn't hurt at all."

After the twentieth punch, she could no longer handle it, thus she released her hold and blew on her arms while Eevee flipped backward and sent a two-legged axe kick into her skull. Ribombee's eyes were wide with shock as the fox took full advantage of this and wrapped her arms around her from the side, lifting her up and planting her skull into the mat.

"And after escaping from that powerful hold, Eevee gets the upper hand with an axe kick and a side suplex," Yuki stated while the crowd cheered wildly.

Caterpie breathed a sigh of relief and thought, 'Thank god! There's the Eevee I know! I may be a loser, but you certainly aren't!'

The bug flipped back to her feet and breathed heavily. Now she could see how Eevee defeated Salazzle, let alone why she had the best track record of all of Tokyo's heroes. She may have been the least physically strong, but she had spirit, the kind that had not been seen since Machop fought in her prime. She knew she had to step up her game if she was to win and do her team proud.

With that in mind, Ribombee sighed, "I normally save this for hordes of enemies, but you've given me no choice. It's clear I can't just rely on my physical strength to defeat you."

Eevee blinked as the bug flew into the air and reached into her fuzz, pulling out a ball of pollen before shouting, "POLLEN PUFF!" hurling it toward Eevee.

The fox did not even want to know what this did and thus attempted to dodge. However, when the pollen hit the ground in front of it, it created a huge explosion. Thus Eevee found herself caught in it as she cried out in pain and flew backward into the turnbuckle.

The fox coughed up a bit of blood as the crowd gasped, Caterpie barking, "What the hell was that!?"

"And it would seem Ribombee has more up her sleeve than we first thought," Yuki said, "Needless to say, it's not gonna be easy for Eevee to hit her now."

However, Eevee did not look too worried while she shook her head and thought, 'Wait, this is almost exactly like that one move Noivern used as a last resort! All I gotta do is use my Flying Fox Wheel and she'll be finished!"

With that in mind, the fox leapt onto the top rope next to the turnbuckle. Seeing this, Ribombee frowned and pulled out another ball of pollen, a wicked smirk on her face as she wound it up like a pitcher preparing to throw a ball.

"FLYING FOX WHEEL!" Eevee squealed as she launched herself off of the rope and tucked herself into a ball. But when she closed in, Ribombee unleashed her pollen and exclaimed, "POLLEN PUFF!" the ball hitting Eevee in the face.

Unlike when Noivern used this, the fox was caught in the blast as she careened toward the mat. Her eyes were wide with shock while Ribombee saw a perfect opportunity. Thus she spread out her arms and cupped her feet together, spinning toward Eevee and striking her hard in the gut.

"DAZZLING CORKSCREW!" she exclaimed as she sent the fox's back hard into the canvas, silence filling the area until Yuki exclaimed, "And it would seem Eevee's attack has been countered as she takes in a devastating drill-like kick!"

Caterpie's eyes widened with horror while he thought, 'Why didn't that work? She did the same thing against Noivern and it prevented her from being hit! This can't be it!'

Ribombee distanced herself from Eevee before smirking and saying, "I'll admit, you put up a valiant effort, but in the end, it simply wasn't meant to be. It's like I keep saying. I may be small and thin, but I'm certainly not weak."

During this time, Popplio was currently dodging an onslaught of lashes from Turtonator's tongue. He was still unsure just how much pain he could handle and as a result, he was much more focused on avoiding damage while looking for another opportunity to strike.

Palossand smirked and suggested, "Hey, Turtonator, how's about you stop attacking from the same spot and try something else? I know I don't normally feel the need to give you guys advice, but you look like you need it."

The turtle tapped his chin as he had to admit Palossand had a point. As such, he took a deep breath and asked, "What do you mean, sir?" the castle explaining, "You know there's one tactic I've never seen you use, and I've always wanted to see it. You know how back in the day, I used to be a big fan of video games, and one featured a giant fire-breathing turtle that could tuck himself into his shell and spin toward his opponents."

"Oh, I know what franchise you're talking about," Turtonator replied with a look of uncertainty in his eyes. As much as he wanted to give this a shot, there was a major difference between using such a tactic in real life and having it used in a game.

Even so, he knew that Popplio had already found a way around every other tactic he had. As such, he lay down on his belly and barked, "Alright, clown seal, you've been a worthy opponent so far! But let's see you top this!"

The crowd watched in amazement as he tucked his arms and legs into his shell. However, due to the large blade on his tail, he was unable to tuck that in, but he saw that as an advantage as it gave him another idea. As such, he had his shell glow orange while spinning like a buzz saw and even whipped out his tongue for good measure.

Popplio could tell where this was going and thought, 'Merde! He's making it nearly impossible to avoid him! There's only one thing I can do, but I'm not sure if it can really work.'

He had little time to think when Turtonator started to spin toward him with his tongue forming what looked like a ring of fire around him. And while doing so, he exclaimed, "SHELL SPIN INFERNO!"

The crowd was horrified as Popplio attempted to leap over the shell since he saw no other options. However, this wound up failing seeing as Turtonator was far too big. As such, the seal wound up hitting the backside as the orange glow slashed open his belly. And it only got worse when the turtle bounced off of the ropes and sent the seal flying with his tongue.

Even Yukiko had nothing to say as Popplio hit the turnbuckle hard, Palossand clapping and exclaiming, "Oh man, this is amazing! Keep it up! I'll tell you when to stop!"

'Oh yeah!' Turtonator thought with a psychotic smile on his face, 'I've never had fun during a fight before! This is amazing! I could keep this up all day!'

When he headed toward Popplio again, the seal panicked and leapt atop the turnbuckle. However, he was shocked when it actually worked. Turtonator ran into it and bounced off, but that was all he did. It was at this moment that the seal knew what he could do.

'That's it,' he thought with a grin, 'As powerful as he is when doing this, he can't see what he's doing as long as he's inside his shell. As such, he'll just keep bouncing from one side to the other until he makes himself dizzy. I'll just stay up here until-'

His train of thought was cut off when Palossand barked, "Hey, Turtonator, he's standing on top of that pole thingy!" the seal in full panic when Turtonator lifted his tongue higher up like a lasso.

As such, the seal had no choice but to move around in order to avoid taking in damage. Thus once the turtle closed in on him again, he leapt over the tongue and onto the rope, using his flippers to climb across it as if it was a tightrope.

Unfortunately, Turtonator would not have as much trouble working around this as Palossand stated, "Shift over to your right," the seal gulping and thinking, 'Oh merde!'

"And thanks to Palossand's advice, Turtonator is now able to follow Popplio while he tries desperately to avoid being burned," Yukiko said as Popplio performed various back flips to save himself.

Unfortunately, it was not long until he came to the end of the ropes. As such, he leapt over the incoming tongue before Palossand suggested, "Try moving it higher up, man."

The turtle did just that as Popplio was unable to dodge. As such, his back was singed while he cried out in pain and fell head-first into the shell. Thus that very part opened up slightly as he flew off of the material and fell on his back just a slight distance from Turtonator.

Meanwhile, Eevee was still lying unconscious while Ribombee folded her arms and turned to Yuki, saying, "Well, I think it's clear who the winner of this match is."

The woman nodded and was just about to give her final verdict when Caterpie rose to his feet and barked, "EEVEE, WHAT THE HELL IS THIS!?"

Everyone stared at him as he added, "I've seen you deal with far worse than this! Remember Lugarugan and the extreme torment he put you through!? How about when Salazzle poisoned you! You dealt with so much pain during both of those matches and yet you still won! I refuse to believe a couple of explosions and a kick was enough to finish you off!"

Ribombee smirked and retorted, "Am I really hearing this from you of all people? Seriously, you took in far less pain from me and still lost."

"Yes, but that's because I wasn't ready to fight evil yet," the caterpillar remarked, "But I know for a fact that Eevee is. I've done some research on her and as it so happens, she has faced a total of five villains since she came to Earth and out of all of them, she managed to beat four. Compared to the others, her track record is amazing. I wouldn't count her out just yet if I were you."

Just as the bug was about to make another snide remark, her eyes widened when she heard heavy breathing behind her. And when she slowly turned, sure enough, Eevee had risen back to her feet as she grunted, "Caterpie's right. Lugarugan was way worse than you! There's no way in Hell I'm going to lose! My sister said that I wasn't fit to be a hero, but I knew she was wrong, and I've managed to prove it so far! But I could probably stand to prove it more!"

The crowd went wild while the bug flew into the air and spat, "NO! I WON'T LET YOU WIN!" before spinning around and unleashing a barrage of pollen balls, shouting, "POLLEN PUFF METEOR SHOWER!"

Eevee panicked and took a deep breath before remembering a story her mother told her in her youth. As it so happened, there was a time when her great, great grandmother, Espeon, fought an opponent with a similar power. Despite the barrage coming at her, she managed to dodge each and every hit.

With this in mind, the fox thought, 'It's not a new signature move, but it's just as good,' before leaping away from one pollen ball and landing on her paws.

The crowd along with Caterpie watched in amazement as Eevee performed a series of somersaults, even balancing on her tail a few times. What shocked everyone was how well this worked. While the explosions were big, she was able to keep just enough distance to avoid each and every one of them.

Soon enough, Ribombee's attack came to a halt as she stopped spinning and blinked. She then reached under her fuzz and gasped, "OH NO! I'M OUT OF POLLEN!" the area going silent until Caterpie spat, "NOW, EEVEE! THIS IS YOUR CHANCE!"

The fox nodded with a smirk before leaping atop the ropes and propelling herself toward Ribombee. The bug's eyes widened as she spat, "NO, STAY AWAY FROM ME!"

During this time, Popplio barely had enough strength to move while Turtonator advanced toward him. He then took a deep breath and thought, 'I only have one shot at this. Better make it count,' before tucking himself into a ball and rolling toward the incoming shell.

And while this went on, Eevee latched onto Ribombee and used her tail to trap her legs in place. She then flipped one hundred and eighty degrees and descended toward the canvas. And after a few seconds, she started to spin while twister formed around both fighters.

"NO!" Ribombee gasped, squirming to free herself, "UNHAND ME! I CAN'T GO DOWN, NOT YET!"

As Popplio closed in on Turtonator, he exclaimed, "CIRCUS BALL!" allowing the tongue and tail to strike him while he ignored the pain. And luckily for him, the turtle had shifted just enough for the hole hiding his head to be right in front of the seal. His eyes widened as Popplio rammed right into his face, causing his mouth to bend sideways like a broken pipe.

And at that exact same moment, Eevee drove Ribombee's skull into the mat and shouted, "BINDING FOX TWISTER!" the bug coughing up blood and slowly closing her eyes.

And with all said and done, both villains were out cold. Eevee distanced herself from Ribombee and allowed her collapse, deep breaths escaping her mouth as a light smile formed on her face. And all the while, Turtonator retracted his arms, legs and head from his shell with his eyes closed as well, Popplio rolling backward before returning to a normal state and lying on his back.

He then let down light tears and sniffed, "I did it, Eevee. I just hope you did too," before closing his eyes and tilting his head sideways.

At that moment, both announcers rang their bells at the same time, almost as if both were in the same area. Yuki beamed and exclaimed, "And after a very intense match, Eevee has defeated Ribombee and therefor is still able to fight for Tokyo!" the crowd going wild.

Yukiko's verdict, on the other hand, was not quite as positive as she stated, "It was tough, but it seems that we have ourselves a double knockout. So while Palossand is down an ally, so is Tokyo. All we can do now is pray that Eevee has won her match with Ribombee or will win if it's not over yet."

Palossand folded his arms and said, "Well, I for one would like to see if that's the case, so show us that," the screen turning on to show Eevee standing tall with her arms in the air while Ribombee lay unconscious right in front of her.

For the first time since he arrived, the sand castle was mortified. He could accept Turtonator's loss to a certain degree, but for both of his allies to be out cold with him being the only one left was hard to take in. Had Popplio not used up the last of his strength, he would have had a very difficult time.

But even so, he calmed down almost instantly and took a deep breath, thinking, 'Well, I'm impressed. But don't think for a minute that this is the end. You still have me to deal with, little Eevee, and I know for a fact that you cannot stop me no matter how good you are.'

While he thought this, the crowd cheered wildly as Yukiko said, "Well, folks, there you have it. Two villains have gone down and Eevee, our most pleasantly surprising hero of all, is still standing. All we can do is cheer her on when she faces Palossand, um, I assume tomorrow."

"Actually," the sand castle replied, "I feel generous. I will give her an extra day to prepare herself. After all, this is quite a big event, yeah?"

Luckily, the screen on the West coast had been turned on. As such, Eevee heard this and smiled lightly thinking, 'Bring it on, Palossand. After these last two matches, I'm sure I can take on anyone.'

Caterpie thought the same as he crawled into the ring and said, "Come on, I'll give you a ride back to your house if you'd like. Better than walking back after such a tough match, right?"

The fox nodded and allowed him to help her climb out of the ring, Ribombee soon handcuffed and loaded onto a prison ship just like Salazzle. But like before, with Palossand still able to fight, they had to agree to release her if he won his match with Eevee.

But even after all she had done, could Eevee defeat Palossand? After all, as had been seen when he fought Chespin and Lycanroc, there was a reason he was the leader.


	30. Chapter 30

After having won such a rough match, all Eevee wanted was rest and relaxation. But before she could do that, she decided to head to the hospital to check up on the others. After all, they had still taken in pretty heavy beatings prior to this.

The fox was currently checking up on Popplio after he had been given a room not too long ago and smiled, saying, "I may not have seen your match, but I'm sure you were awesome as always. I bet Turtonator knocking you out at the same time was nothing more than a fluke."

She then let out a sigh as she really hoped the seal would wake up sooner than what was predicted. After all, not only was he nice company, but she still liked to have him in the bleachers to give advice when she needed it.

Meanwhile, Caterpie was checking up on Lycanroc and was happy to see her wide awake. Chespin was still unconscious, though, so right now, the wolf was all the caterpillar had to talk to, but he was okay with that.

"So Eevee kicked some serious ass, then," the wolf said with a big grin, "That's a relief. After the way Ribombee defeated you so easily, I wasn't sure if even she could do it."

"Don't do that," Caterpie remarked as Lycanroc blinked, "I know deep down, that loss probably didn't surprise you at all. As much as it pains me to admit it, Ribombee was right about me. I am weak. I've spent my whole life believing that I was naturally born a champion all because my father, you know, the all-mighty chairman told me so."

Lycanroc blinked as he sighed, "I guess the reason I believed it is because, you know, I do come from an impressive lineage. My grandpa, Beedrill, was not only incredible, but he was also the first chairman to rewrite the rule forbidding anyone with that position to help out fellow heroes in combat. When Machoke and his friends were fighting to prevent Giratina from regaining power and terrorizing the planet, he stepped in and defeated one of his goons. Not only that, but that very goon would later become my grandma. Don't tell her I called her a goon, though."

The wolf snickered upon hearing that and said, "Yeah, I've heard about her. They both started off as villains, right?" Caterpie nodding and replying, "That's right, and to think Grandpa was the first one Machoke ever defeated back in the day. Every time I'd visit him, he'd always tell me that story."

After a few seconds of silence, the caterpillar looked Lycanroc in the eyes and enquired, "Could I ask you a favour?"

The wolf nodded with a supportive smile as he sighed, "When you make a full recovery and Eevee inevitably beats Palossand, will you help me train? I know this won't be the last time I'll have to fight, and when a threat rises up again, I wanna be ready for it."

Lycanroc stared at him for a few seconds and tried to process what she had just heard. But in the end, she was beyond proud of him, thus she beamed bright and nodded her head. After all, she had been waiting for him to ask her that very question since the day he allowed her to move into his mansion.

Soon enough, he and Eevee left the hospital as the fox was ready to head home and get some much needed rest. After all, much like when Lugarugan and his team showed up, the fate of Tokyo was on her shoulders. It was a lot to take in, but after having been in this spot once and succeeding, she was more excited than she was scared.

And while she lay in bed, she had a big smile on her face and thought, 'You know, Umbreon, even if you never see these matches, I'm okay with that. I'm just glad I'm finally worth something, and tomorrow, I'm gonna save Tokyo's citizens once more. You can count on it.'

She then closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep. Though she knew she would only have one day after this to prepare herself, and she intended to make full use of that time. Besides, it was only noon, so she would likely wake up in the evening and get started sooner.

Once the following morning came around, Lycanroc had fully recovered and was currently on a walk with Caterpie. While he normally would have taken a ride in his limo, the caterpillar figured exercising his legs for a change could help with his training.

"So this is what it's like to walk long distances," he wheezed while sweat poured down his face, "I can handle walking for ten minutes, but almost an hour? How do you guys deal with this?"

Lycanroc let out a light laugh before replying, "You'll get used to it eventually. But if this is anything to go by, had Ribombee not beaten you as quickly as she did, your lack of energy would have done it for her."

"I guess that's what I get for taking it easy for as long as I have," Caterpie sighed as the duo arrived at Eevee's condo. As such, they climbed the steps before Lycanroc rang the doorbell.

After a while, Eevee answered and beamed bright, squealing, "Good morning! I see you're up and about, Lycanroc," the wolf nodding and replying, "Unfortunately, Chespin still needs a couple of hours before he can so much as wake up."

Eevee nodded and asked, "So what brings you two here anyway?" Caterpie replying, "We mostly came to check up on you, but if you need help training, we can do that too," thinking, 'Lord knows I need it.'

The fox smiled and said, "That would be great. Besides, you guys know how Palossand fights. You can give me pointers."

With all said and done, the group headed out to a nearby field to train. Unfortunately, Caterpie found himself having to take a break every ten minutes due to it being far too vigorous for him.

'My god,' he thought as he watched Lycanroc and Eevee spar, 'Lycanroc's right. If I ever find an opponent more pathetic than me, at least I can win if the match goes for only a few minutes.'

He then looked up at the sky as he could not help but wonder why his father told him he would never have to work toward becoming great. He was certain that he had to back in the day. After all, much like the caterpillar's grandparents, he had a good reputation, so why did he honestly believe that his own son would not have to work toward greatness?

At that moment, Eevee and Lycanroc took many deep breaths as the fox noticed the wolf in great pain. After all, the two had been trading a lot of blows back and forth, and everyone knew her tolerance to this was lower than everyone else's. As such, the fox decided it was time for a break.

With that in mind, Caterpie put out a picnic spread he had brought from the mansion, saying, "I had a feeling we'd be out for a while today, so I planned this in advance," Eevee's eyes sparkling while she drooled lightly.

Before the heroes was a big lunch consisting of takoyaki, gyudon, seaweed salad, rice balls and sushi. At that moment, the fox let down a light tear and said, "Caterpie, you may not be much of a fighter yet, but you're an awesome friend."

The caterpillar blushed lightly when Lycanroc nodded and helped herself to some of the food. While Caterpie may not have earned the right to boast about his skills, he had been very friendly since the day he met the others. Not only that, but despite everything she had done, he had allowed the wolf to live under his roof when she had nowhere else to stay.

After a few more minutes, lunch was over as Eevee said, "You know, that actually really helped. Now I got even more energy," Lycanroc nodding and exclaiming, "Me too! Let's go again!"

And so the trio continued to train for the next couple of hours. Like before, Caterpie was only able to last a few short minutes at a time, but each time, he did last a little longer. At the very least, it seemed like he was starting to improve.

However, what really mattered most right now was how good Eevee seemed. After her victory over Ribombee, her confidence had grown immensely. There was no doubt in her mind that Palossand was going down.

Once evening rolled around, she decided to take one last trip to the hospital to check up on Popplio. As expected, the seal was still out cold and apparently, he would not wake up in time to see her match. But as discouraging as that was, she could not allow that to lower her spirits.

Thus she gave the seal a smile and said, "Don't you worry, Popplio. I won't let our hard work be in vain. That oversized sand castle's gonna wish he never messed with us."

And with all said and done, she left the hospital to return home. After a nice dinner, she would get in a bit more training before heading off to bed. After all, she would need to save up as much strength as she could for this.

Once the following morning came, everyone was assembled by the beach, only now there were more bleachers and only one ring. This time, the match would take place in the middle of the beach, right in front of the ancient beast slab.

A reporter stood before Palossand and asked, "So, how does it feel being the only one left standing on your team?" the sand castle replying, "Well, I will say this. I commend the others for their hard work. After all, if it hadn't been for them doing their best, Tokyo's heroes wouldn't be in the same position as me. And honestly, I'm not too worried. What I've seen from Eevee is impressive, but it's not enough."

The woman nodded and enquired, "You sound very confident despite her reputation. Is there's a specific reason?" the sand castle replying, "That's for me to know and for you to find out, man."

"I'm not a man," the reporter retorted when Eevee showed up along with Caterpie and Lycanroc. The citizens all turned toward her and cheered as the fox gave Palossand a serious look.

"Nice of you to arrive nice and early for the third time in a row," he said with a big smile, "I have to say, your punctuality is tops!"

"Can it!" Eevee retorted, "You won't look so confident after I wipe the mat with your face!" the crowd even more excited now.

"I admire your spirit," the sand castle said with his hands against his sides, "After the way you defeated Salazzle and Ribombee, I look forward to seeing if you can provide a good challenge for me. I mean, your friend there and that chipmunk were alright, but they weren't quite what I was looking for."

"Now that you're alone, I'd love to see you back up those words," Lycanroc growled as Caterpie patted her on the side and uttered, "Easy does it."

With all said and done, Eevee headed off to prepare herself for the match while Palossand did the same. Needless to say, tensions were high. After all, most of the citizens knew just how powerful the sand castle was, even without Turtonator's help.

While Eevee got herself ready, Lycanroc and Caterpie checked up on her as she grinned and asked, "Did you bring it?"

Caterpie pulled out a robe and replied, "Yeah, but what exactly is this supposed to get across?" the fox replying, "Just you wait. This is gonna be awesome."

During this time, Yuki was about to head off to work when she turned on the TV briefly to the station. She noticed everyone gathered around and sighed, "Well, it was nice while it lasted. Keep up the great work, Yukiko."

Twenty minutes passed and everyone was restless. But their patience would be worth it when Yukiko exclaimed, "Alright, ladies and gentlemen, it's finally time for the last match to decide who will have ownership of the ancient beast slab! Will Palossand sail away with it in his possession or will it stay here as one of Tokyo's finest attractions!? Let's find out!"

She then pointed to the right and stated, "In the red corner is a demonic sand castle who has truly proven himself much stronger than the stuff he's made out of! With the ability to morph his body into I assume any shape he wants, Palossand!"

The sand castle headed toward the ring in the form of a tidal wave. Everyone watched while he lowered himself into the ring, saying, "Well, there are some things I can't become, but I do have a lot of forms I can take, man."

Yukiko blinked and nodded before adding, "And in the blue corner, fighting for the sake of not just Tokyo but possibly the world this time is that spirited bundle of fluff and power who saved us all from Lugarugan! She resisted poison to get this far and overcame a rain of explosives! Everyone, give a round of applause for Eevee!"

The crowd stared in wonder as Eevee approached the ring with a desert cloak on. Palossand nodded and thought, 'I see. She's trying to show me that she can handle my sand powers. Interesting.'

But when she entered the ring, she removed the cloak to reveal a swim suit on underneath complete with a snorkel and rubber ducky life preserver around her waist. Suddenly, everyone's enthusiasm turned to confusion as even Yukiko had no idea how to react to this.

Lycanroc blinked and tilted her head to the side, asking, "What's the point of this one?" Caterpie uttering, "I think it's because we're fighting on a beach."

Eevee pouted and thought, 'They didn't get it at all,' before removing the swimming gear as Palossand clapped and exclaimed, "Oh man, I wish I'd been there for your other matches! That was very amusing!"

"And of course the villain's the only one who liked it," Eevee groaned before putting on a more serious look and grunting, "Yeah, and since you didn't see my other matches, at least not in their entirety, you won't know what to expect from me!"

"It's funny you mention that," Palossand replied, "I was considering doing research on you during those last couple of days, but I decided not to. I figured I wouldn't need it."

'That's mistake number one,' Eevee thought with a grin as she headed to the edge of the ring and held up a fighting stance.

Palossand looked more than ready as well when Yukiko nodded and stated, "Well, the combatants are set. Let us begin," ringing the bell before the sand castle headed toward Eevee.

The fox smirked and saw an immediate opening as she leapt at him and planted her feet into his chest. She then propelled herself upward and latched her legs onto his head, leaning backward and lifting him into the air with ease. The crowd went wild while she sent his back hard into the canvas, causing him to collapse into a pile of sand.

"And with a frankensteiner, Eevee has already managed to break apart the monstrous castle!" Yukiko exclaimed as the crowd cheered. However, the fox was on high alert as she backed away from the pile.

As it so happened, Lycanroc and Caterpie had both told the fox about Palossand's ability to change his form at will. The wolf especially remembered to mention how he had grabbed Chespin while in the form of a pile since she figured he would likely try the same thing on Eevee.

With that in mind, the fox narrowed her eyelids and thought, 'Just try it,' only for the sand to spread out, making the pile flat. Eevee was confused until she noticed it touching her feet, but when she tried to back up, she found herself stuck. And it only got worse when the sand started to move toward the center where the shovel was still sticking up.

The crowd gasped when Palossand's head rose up and he exclaimed, "QUICKSAND TRAP!" Eevee in great panic as he formed the more human-like hands he had used on Chespin and took hold of her arms.

"SINCE WHEN CAN HE DO THAT!?" Caterpie gasped as the sand castle shouted, "SHOVEL SUPLEX!" ramming Eevee's skull into the shovel.

He then flipped her upside-down and drove her into the mat before saying, "Let me guess, your friends told you I'd try to grab you and that was it, didn't they? Unfortunately for you, I found a way to make sure you couldn't avoid it."

Already, the people could not help but wonder if Eevee could make up for that. But even so, the fox refused to let this get to her and leapt back to her feet. There was no way she would let this scare her.

As such, she smirked and said, "Nice trick, but now that I've seen it, I can easily dodge it," Palossand blinking and uttering, "Oh yeah," before smirking and adding, "It doesn't matter, because that was only a small sample of what I have."

He then moved toward Eevee only for her to spot another opening. Thus she leapt toward him and rammed her skull into his forehead. With the sand castle distracted, she proceeded to take hold of his arm and lift her over her head, slamming his side into the mat.

Lycanroc beamed and said, "Hey, that was one of the first moves Chespin used on him," as Caterpie nodded and added, "If there is one thing I can say about Palossand, it's that at least he's made out of a light material. Imagine if he was made of rocks or something like that."

As the sand castle once again collapsed into a pile, Eevee was ready to evade his quicksand ability. However, she was shocked when he shaped himself into the form of a large sphere with a face, shouting, "SANDY BOULDER!"

The fox panicked as he rolled toward her. But after she leapt to the side and barely dodged it, her eyes widened when she turned and saw Palossand hit the ropes and bounce off of them. But rather than staying in his ball-like state, he split apart his entire body and created multiple spears.

"SPEARING SAND!" Palossand exclaimed as two of them hit Eevee in the shoulders. Another pair pierced her knees while another hit her in the gut. Thus she was forced back-first into the turnbuckle, the crowd gasping.

"And just like he said, Palossand has many more tricks up his sleeve that we haven't seen yet," Yukiko stated, "Just when you think you have him figured out, he retaliates with something new."

The remaining spears that missed Eevee soon came together to form a slightly smaller version of Palossand's normal body as he lifted up the five that were still lodged in the fox's flesh. He then formed his beefy legs and stood high above the mat while he smirked and quipped, "Going up."

He then flipped Eevee so her skull was facing the mat and dissolved his legs, heading straight for the canvas and barking, "SANDAVATOR!" the fox making contact as she coughed up blood.

No one could believe their eyes. The match had not gone for very long and it already looked like Eevee was done for. And while the spears returned to Palossand's body and allowed her to collapse, she was already twitching with her eyes and mouth wide open.

Caterpie and Lycanroc held one-another and gasped, "EEVEE!" There was no way this was the end. She had to get up. After all, she had risen after taking in worse many times.


	31. Chapter 31

Eevee had started strong, but despite the fact that the match had not gone for very long, it already looked like she might very well lose. After having been pierced and slammed hard into the canvas, she was lying on her back with her arms and legs spread out.

Palossand folded his arms and said, "I have to admit, I was hoping to use more techniques against her," before Yukiko stated, "It would seem that after taking in a rather heavy onslaught, Eevee is out cold. Therefor this match goes to-"

"Don't even think about it!" grumbled a familiar voice, the crowd smiling wide. And sure enough, that voice belonged to Eevee as she pushed herself upright, breathing heavily and glaring at Palossand.

"Oh, this is wonderful, man," the sand castle said with a big smile, "I was worried I might have ended the match too soon. Now I can have even more fun with you."

"Don't flatter yourself!" the fox retorted, "I'll admit, you are hard to predict, but something else I notice is that your body isn't as strong as it looks!"

Palossand stared silently for a few seconds before shrugging and replying, "Well, it's true. I'm not quite as strong as Turtonator, but hey, what are you gonna do? Wait, I know!"

With that in mind, he shifted his body into the form of a vehicle with two arms attached to it, each with a rectangular shape on the end. Eevee was about to dodge, but the castle moved too quickly and shifted the ends inward, shouting, "SANDWICH!"

Everyone would have at least cringed at that terrible pun, but they were far too worried about Eevee's health as it seemed like she had been crushed. Caterpie and Lycanroc stared in horror as they really hoped their friend had not been killed. But just as it looked like all hope was lost, one audience member pointed and spat, "Look! She's okay!"

Lycanroc smiled and exclaimed, "Way to go!" Eevee having miraculously managed to use her arms to prevent the rectangles from going all the way inward and flattening her. She gritted her teeth all the while and growled, "Alright, I let you get one last hit in, but that's it!"

Palossand was actually shocked while she shifted her arms downward thus propelling herself into the air. She then spread out her legs and landed on the tops of the rectangles before racing along the surface. And when he started to change back to his regular form, she leapt off and soared toward him with her arm out, sending a clothesline into his face. This proved just enough to knock him on his back while the crowd cheered wildly.

"And after one close call after the next, Eevee has once again made a comeback with a flying clothesline!" Yukiko exclaimed with glee as the fox sent her elbow into Palossand's gut right before he could collapse into a pile of sand.

She then leapt backward toward the ropes while he shifted back to normal. However, his timing could not have been worse as she planted her back into the material and stretched it out. And when she bounced off, she rolled up into a ball and rammed hard into the spellbound castle's gut.

"FLYING FOX WHEEL!" she yelled as he let out a gasp and collapsed into a pile once more, only this time he did not even need to fall on his back.

When the fox returned to a normal state and watched him revert to normal, she smirked and said, "That defence mechanism of yours may be useful for sneak attacks, but not when you use it all the time," the cheers only getting louder as Caterpie spat, "Yeah! Tell it like it is!"

Meanwhile, Chespin watched this from the hospital and thought, 'You're awesome, Eevee. Already, you're fairing better against him than I did. After taking in that move, he can't have much fight left.'

While Palossand still seemed to have plenty of energy, he looked a tad alarmed now. However, it was not long until his look of fear became excitement as he clapped his hands together and exclaimed, "Wow! I gotta hand it to you, man, you really are stronger than you look! I haven't had this much fun in ages!"

"What do you think this is, a game!?" the fox retorted before leaping at him and sending her knee into his face.

Unfortunately, Palossand ignored it and took hold of her, saying, "Come on, you already dealt three powerful blows to me before. You may as well give me another turn, yeah?"

He then proceeded to hurl her high into the air before shifting his body into a crane with a wrecking ball. The crowd was now worried as while his face formed on the ball in question. And while Eevee descended, he moved the ball back and barked, "WRECKING SAND!"

And sure enough, right before Eevee's skull hit the canvas, her trip was halted when the castle sent his face hard into her back. This caused her to cough up blood as she flew forward into the ropes. And when she bounced off, Palossand was more than ready to add to the pain and thus he shifted his body into a coffin with spikes in it.

"IRON SANDMAIDEN!" he shouted as Lycanroc and Caterpie were once again scared out of their minds. While he was made of sand, it was clear that he could still deal the same level of damage as that object he became. So one could only imagine what would happen if Eevee hit those spikes.

The fox refused to find out, though, and spread out her arms and legs, tilting her hands and feet backward. And sure enough, she had managed to spread them out just enough to grab onto the sides of the coffin thus preventing herself from touching the deadly cones.

But when the audience looked relieved, it seemed as if just about everyone had forgotten one simple fact. And it was not long until Lycanroc noticed it, her eyes widening as she spat, "EEVEE, GET AWAY FROM HIM NOW!"

Unfortunately, it was too late when Palossand closed the lid and forced Eevee to stay inside. He then let out a laugh and said, "I'm amazed she managed to pull that off, but that reaction was way too slow."

However, he then noticed something odd and asked, "Wait a minute? Where's the blood? There should be blood leaking out of me right now."

Silence filled the area as many members of the crowd had to admit he had a point. If Eevee had been pierced but all those spikes, she should have been bleeding profusely right now. And it was soon made clear why when Palossand opened his lid to reveal that Eevee had somehow managed to position her body in a way that allowed her to avoid each and every spike.

Seeing the lid open, she gasped and immediately leapt away from him before breathing heavily and barking, "YOU GODDAMN SADIST!" while everyone else stared silently. Even Palossand was spellbound as she grinned and uttered, "Well, you did give me just enough time to come up with that."

Caterpie and Lycanroc were just as stunned as the audience. However, that soon changed when Lycanroc exclaimed, "WAY TO GO, EEVEE! KEEP IT UP!" the crowd nodding and giving her a round of applause.

With that in mind, Eevee nodded and flipped backward toward the ropes. She then pressed her feet up against them and held out her arms, growling, "If you thought my Flying Fox Wheel was impressive, wait until you see this!"

She then launched herself off and spun like a drill toward Palossand. The castle gasped and transformed himself into a wall. However, this proved ineffective as Eevee clenched his paws into fists and exclaimed, "SPINNING FOX TACKLE!"

Sure enough, Palossand changing into a wall did not increase his defence at all. Thus his mouth was wide open as he once again collapsed into a pile of sand. The crowd cheered wildly while Eevee breathed heavily and turned around, not letting her guard down for a second.

However, ten seconds passed with no movement as Caterpie asked, "Did she just knock him out?" Lycanroc scratching the side of her head and replying, "It would make sense. I mean, she has used two of her finishing moves on him. Maybe that was enough."

Eevee had a big smile on her face as she rose her arms in the air, shouting, "OH MY GOD, I DID IT!" the crowd cheering even louder than before while Yukiko nodded and said, "Well, Palossand does not seem to have recovered. Therefor, it only stands to reason that Eevee has-"

However, she froze when suddenly, Palossand's hands rose up and took hold of Eevee's legs. Her eyes were wide with horror as she slowly turned toward them, panic filling the area. And sure enough, Palossand soon rose up and let out a big laugh, shouting, "I gotta hand it to you! For a normal type, you're really tough, man! It's just a shame I have to waste all of your hard work!"

He then proceeded to shift into a top and said, "I don't normally use this when I'm holding onto my opponent, but it might actually work better this way," before spinning and exclaiming, "SAND TOP GIANT SWING!"

The crowd winced as Eevee was sent flying head-first into the turnbuckle. However, she refused to let this get her down, shook the pain off of her skull and breathed heavily. She then turned to Palossand and thought, 'What's up with this guy? I've dealt two of my strongest moves on him and he doesn't even look like he's taken in the slightest bit of pain.'

She then took one last breath as her mind added, 'I can't think about that,' thus she used the turnbuckle as leverage to lift herself up and spin around in a circle. She then propelled herself off of it and sent her feet into his midsection.

She did not let it end there while she kept her feet there and rose the rest of her body up. And once she was high enough, she latched her arms and legs to the castle's arm and leaned backward. Thus she once again managed to lift him up and slam his side into the canvas, causing him to collapse into a pile.

"And Eevee's on fire now!" Yukiko stated, "Even after taking in a giant swing, she's still able to knock Palossand down! Let's see if this will finally be enough to put him out of commission!"

But this was not the case as Palossand rose up once more, this time taking on the form of a steamroller. Eevee stared until Lycanroc spat, "Be careful, Eevee! This is the move that defeated Chespin and I!"

The fox nodded while Palossand headed toward her, shouting, "SANDROLLER!" Fortunately, Eevee knew exactly what to do as she leapt up into the air and crossed her arms together, sending them hard into the castle's face.

Palossand once again did not react as he morphed into a cannon with arms. Eevee tensed up when he placed a firm grip on her, stuffed her into his barrel and yelled, "SAND CANNON!"

With that, he fired the fox toward the ropes as she hit them hard and bounced off. And while she flew toward Palossand, he changed into his steamroller form again, this time striking the fox hard as she coughed up blood. She then fell on her back, the crowd once again worried.

Lycanroc winced and groaned, "I really hope she can get up from that," as Caterpie whimpered, "Who would have ever guessed sand could be so deadly?"

Chespin was equally worried since it was just like Lycanroc said. This was the very move Palossand had used to put them out of commission. One could only guess if Eevee's spirit could overcome that.

However Palossand was not willing to take his chances after having witnessed the fox recover as many times as she had. As such, he smiled and became a crane with an anvil hanging from it. His face formed on the heavy object as he positioned himself above her and said, "You've been a fun adversary, but this has gone on long enough. As much as I'd love to keep going, I really want that slab."

Everyone knew exactly what was coming as Caterpie got up and snapped, "EEVEE, GET UP!" Lycanroc shouting, "Come on! You're doing so well! Don't give up now!"

One audience member rose his fist up and down and chanted, "Eevee! Eevee!" as a woman followed suit. And soon enough, the entire area was filled with cheers for the fox while even Yukiko resisted the urge to join in. After all, even during a good versus evil struggle, her job was to be neutral.

Palossand laughed and said, "You all have so much faith in her. It's touching," before dropping his anvil and shouting, "SANDVIL!"

But just as it was about to land on Eevee, her eyes widened and she used her paws to propel herself toward the top of the crane. She then latched onto the tip sheaves and used all her might to force him sideways into the canvas. The crowd went wild when he once again collapsed into a pile of sand.

The fox breathed heavily as Lycanroc sighed with relief and placed her paw against her chest. After all, that had been very intense.

But just as soon as Eevee started to feel at ease, her eyes widened when she turned and saw Palossand reform once more. And just like every other time, he did not look like he had been weakened in the slightest, but why? Why did he not look like he had expelled any energy after taking in so many hits?

"You should look at your face, man," Palossand said tauntingly, "You really thought that would finish me off, yeah? Well, sorry to disappoint once more."

Unfortunately, at this point, Eevee had started to feel helpless. She had used two of her signature moves on him. She had dealt blow after blow, and yet despite all of that, he did not look like he had been harmed in the slightest.

"What's wrong?" the sand castle asked in a condescending tone, "You don't look like you're focused. Oh well, can't say no to a free victory."

But just as he was about to grab onto her, she growled and squeaked, "NO!" before taking hold of his wrist and once again flipping him over her and planting him hard into the canvas. However, this time, she had applied so much force that the side of his shovel had made contact before his body collapsed.

The crowd was unsure whether or not to cheer as Palossand reverted to his regular form. However, Eevee noticed something different. For some reason, it had taken a few seconds longer for his sand to rise up all the way. And at that moment, her jaw dropped and her eyes widened while she thought, 'No way! It can't be!'

Once Palossand regained his focus, he smirked and readied himself for another attack. But before he could take on a new form, Eevee leapt up at him and planted her feet into his shovel, delivering an onslaught of rapid kicks into the same spot to keep herself in the air. Everyone watched with confusion while Caterpie uttered, "Eevee, what are you-?"

However, Lycanroc gasped and pointed at Palossand as, for the first time in the entire match, he was showing signs of pain. He had a variety of looks of discomfort on his face and clenched his hands each and every second. As such, he transformed his crenellations into what looked like chicken wire and whipped it around until it was high enough to strike the fox in the back. This put light bruises on that exact spot as she fell forward, but just as she was about to hit the canvas, she stopped herself with her paws and flipped upright.

"I knew it!" she spat as she pointed at Palossand, "You're not a sentient sand castle at all! You're a shovel with the power to control sand!"

The entire area went silent. While it was true heroes and villains were far from what one would called normal, this still sounded farfetched. However, there was no way anyone could question this logic when Palossand's eyes and mouth widened with horror and he placed his hands against his shovel as if to form a barrier around it.

"OH MY GOD, MAN!" he spat, "HOW DID YOU FIGURE IT OUT!?" as Lycanroc and Caterpie spat, "You mean she was right about that!?"

"I wasn't too sure at first," the fox replied, "I just noticed that when I finally dealt damage to your shovel, you had a bit of trouble recovering. So I decided to give my theory a test, and what do you know? For the first time in this entire match, you actually looked like you were in pain."

Chespin's jaw dropped when he heard this, his eyes twitching. And it seemed Lycanroc was thinking the same thing he was as she uttered, "So you mean to say that even if we lasted longer and dealt more hits to you-"

"It would have been pointless," Palossand retorted, "None of the blows you dealt to me really did anything because all you were aiming for was an empty shell. In reality, this sand torso of mine is nothing more than a way to communicate while my shovel acts my heart, brain and soul."

The audience still had a lot of trouble taking this in as Yukiko stated, "Well, if what we've heard is correct, Eevee has been aiming for the wrong target this whole time, but can you blame her? Who would have ever guessed that shovel was the real Palossand this whole time?"

The sand castle folded his arms and thought, 'I was having fun toying with her, but now that she knows my secret, I need to end this as soon as possible.'

With that in mind, he once again turned his crenellations into chicken wire and sent them toward Eevee. However, the fox easily dodged it and smirked, saying, "You shouldn't panic like that. It'll throw you off."

"SHUT UP, MAN!" he retorted as he whipped at her one last time. With that, the fox easily leapt over it and sent a flying roundhouse into the shovel, knocking it out of the head as it landed hard against the mat. Thus the sand collapsed and slowly headed toward the object.

'I gotta finish him off before he reforms his body,' Eevee thought while she sprinted toward the shovel. Unfortunately, the damage she had dealt so far had not quite been enough as the sand reached the shovel, shifting toward the middle.

To make matters worse, Eevee's feet were stuck in it as she squeaked in panic. And with that, she was caught in the quicksand move and soon sucked into the middle. At first, it did not seem so bad as she was only spinning in place, but that all changed when Palossand's upper body rose up and formed itself around her. She was now trapped inside of the head and the crowd could see her behind the eye holes like a prisoner locked in a cell.

However, she did not look the least bit worried as she uttered, "With how easy it is to break you, I fail to see the point of this," sending a punch into the middle of the face. However, she was shocked when this surprisingly hurt her fist in the process, the fox whimpering and blowing on it.

Palossand chuckled wickedly as Caterpie enquired, "Are you going to escape now or not?"

"She just realized she can't," Palossand retorted, "My outside may be super light and fragile, but my inside is incredibly tough. Not sure how it works myself, but either way, you won't be able to escape, and that makes you a sitting duck, yeah?"

As much as it pained Eevee to admit it, Palossand was right. If she could not find a way out of this, she was doomed for sure.


	32. Chapter 32

While Eevee had figured out Palossand's weakness, it hardly seemed to matter now since she was trapped inside of his head. One could only guess how the sand castle intended to take advantage of this or if the fox could find a way to escape.

Chespin trembled upon seeing all of this onscreen while he clutched onto the sides of his head and groaned, "I should be there to support her! This is terrible!"

And as it so happened, as if he could sense her predicament, Popplio had finally started to wake up. His eyes were only slightly open and his ears twitched as he could hear Yukiko explaining all of this from the TV in his room. As such, he shook and uttered, "Come on, Eevee. You can get out of this. I know you can."

And of course, Caterpie and Lycanroc were not taking this particularly well either. The fox was so close, and yet now it looked like Palossand would achieve victory and revive the horrible demons who had been trapped in the slab for so many years.

Eevee growled and rammed her shoulder up against the middle of the face only for Palossand to lift up his right arm with a smirk, pointing it toward that very spot. He then exclaimed, "SANDATLING GUN!" shooting the crenellations in and out like bullets toward the fox.

And while she could not break through the inside, anyone could still easily do the same for the outside of the sand castle. As such, the crenellations easily passed through and struck Eevee repeatedly, the fox now covered head to toe in bruises. And when the twenty-fifth strike went into her gut, she coughed up blood while the crowd watched in horror.

After a while, Palossand ended his assault and said, "Let's see how much farther I can take this. After all, you're fully aware of the fact that I can easily hit myself without inflicting any pain whatsoever."

With that in mind, he rose up his arms and replaced his hands with hammerheads. He then exclaimed, "SAND HAMMER!" sending both through the walls of his head and striking Eevee's cheeks, causing her to cough up more blood.

But despite all of the pain she had taken in, at this point, she refused to let this bring her down. As such, she gritted her teeth and did her best to ignore it. She then regained her composure and sent an onslaught of punches into the middle of the face, shouting, "COME ON, YOU'RE MADE OF SAND! I CAN BREAK THROUGH THIS EASILY!"

The crowd was uncertain whether to cheer or not as Yukiko stated, "And despite Palossand's insides being much harder than the outside, Eevee is still determined to escape! Can she do it, folks!?"

Caterpie nodded and barked, "I think she can!" Lycanroc adding, "Me too! Come on, everyone, show your support! Eevee! Eevee!"

The crowd nodded and stood up before chanting the fox's name repeatedly. Palossand started to look irritated as he saw all of this as nothing more than mere words from idiots who could not accept reality. But Eevee, on the other hand, was full of spirit when she suddenly gasped and looked up, thinking, 'This is perfect.'

Palossand's eyes shifted inward to see that Eevee had stopped her assault as he tauntingly asked, "So you realized your punches are useless, yeah?" the fox nodding and remarking, "Yeah, but only because there is a better solution."

With that in mind, the fox went down on all fours and thought, 'Okay, there are no ropes to make this more effective. I'm not sure if this can work, but it's the only option I have. I know now that I am not the blight on this family Umbreon thought I was, and there's no way in Hell I'm letting a shovel with mystical powers disprove that!'

She used all her might to propel herself high into the air and rolled up into a ball. Once she reached the ceiling, she squeaked, "FLYING FOX WHEEL!" and hit it hard.

Palossand's eyes and mouth were wide with horror as this proved just enough to break through the material, his entire head bursting open as she sent the shovel flying into the air. The crowd cheered wildly when she was mere inches away from grabbing the object and ending this match for good.

Unfortunately, it seemed as if this was not enough as the shovel twitched slightly. This caused all of the sand to rise up and form a twister, the mouth still intact as Palossand shouted, "SWIRLING SANDNADO!"

"What!?" Eevee squeaked as she was soon caught up in the wind. And while she spun around, a hand formed inside of the twister and grabbed her. It then pulled her outside and spun around before releasing its hold, sending her flying into the turnbuckle.

"After that miraculous escape, it truly seemed like Eevee had this match in the bag," Yukiko stated, "But Palossand still has plenty of fight left in him as he unleashes another unexpected technique. Could this finally be the end, folks?"

While Eevee struggled to rise back to her feet, it truly seemed that way as Palossand reverted back to his regular form. He then folded his arms with a wicked smirk and said, "Well, man, you've managed to surprise me a lot, but let's face it. You never really stood a chance. You knew this was inevitable. Now stay down this time!"

With that, he took on the form of a steamroller once more and thought, 'I hope you see this, guys. We're going to rule over the world that abused us soon enough.'

He remembered back when he first came to life. He started off as nothing more than a mere shovel owned by a man in Honolulu when one day, a meteorite came crashing down on top of him. The radiation from it gave him sentient life as he positioned himself upright and started to move around.

The first thing he wanted to do was let his owner know that he was alive so that now the two could be friends. However, a human seeing a shovel without a face jumping around only terrified him, thus he panicked and hurled it far from his house.

Palossand refused to let this get him down, though, and looked around Honolulu for someone who wanted to be his friend. But no matter how hard he tried, everyone reacted to him the exact same way as his former owner did.

While sulking at the beach the following day and wondering why no one would give him a chance, he watched a group of kids playing and talking to each other. It was then that he realized what the problem was. He just needed a way to talk to others. After all, seeing a shovel move on its own was creepy to say the least.

With that in mind, he prayed for a way to talk to the others. And it seemed as if his prayers had been answered when a large amount of sand rose up from under him and became a large sand castle. Three windows formed with eyes like fireflies appearing in two of them. And as if that was not enough, he sprouted a mouth in the middle of his lower body.

He could not even contain his excitement as he immediately approached the kids to have his first real conversation. And when he approached them, surprisingly, none of them ran in fear. Most of them thought this might be a mechanical replica of a sand castle and tried looking for the owner.

However, they were shocked when he smiled and said in a Jamaican-sounding voice, "Oh no, I can assure you, I'm as real as you kids are," before blinking and gasping, "That's a nice accent!"

The kids stared until one squealed, "Wow, a talking sand castle!" another saying, "That is so cool. You're like Sandy the Sandman!"

Palossand laughed and replied, "Just call me Palossand, man. It sounds cooler than Sandy."

The kids nodded and started playing with him when suddenly, their parents spotted them and immediately ran over. They took the children away and told them to stay away from such a horrifying creature since they believed he had other intentions besides playing with them.

While this alone did not result in Palossand's hatred of mankind, it did convince him to give up on trying to be their friend. That would soon change when a wind current picked up and a newspaper flew into his face. And what he saw on the front cover changed his life forever, but not in a good way.

It was a story about Umbreon, specifically how she had just put a villain by the name of Burmy out of commission with her Full Moon Crash. He then noticed a ton of other stories about various other heroes and how they were praised and accepted by society. There was even an article about one simply going out for lunch, though why this was considered news-worthy was anyone's guess.

This filled Palossand with rage as he could not understand it. Why were creatures like these considered approachable when he was deemed too frightening? How could people trust a giant bat and a demonic candle to protect them when a living sand castle had them quaking in their boots?

With all of this in mind, he stole a computer in the middle of the night, found a place with good wifi and started to do more research on this, finding more and more reasons to feel cheated. When he discovered a hero from the previous generation was a walking pile of trash, his anger and malice grew. But during his research, he noticed a banner ad to an article about seven ancient beasts who could potentially help him with his plans. He read about how they were sealed into a slab that was on display in the Tokyo National Museum. However, at the moment, he did not know how this could help him.

The following day, he met a salamander by the named of Salazzle. As it so happened, she had also been mistreated by society and wanted revenge. And thus she agreed to team up with Palossand and carry him around in a jar so he would not be spotted while plotting his own vengeance.

Along the way, they met Turtonator who was more than up for it after having dealt with a rough childhood. And they soon came across Ribombee and Wishiwashi, the guppy having swam all the way to Honolulu from the aquarium he used to work at.

As it so happened, Turtonator knew a lot about the ancient slab that caught Palossand's interest. His grandfather had been there when they were sealed up, which made sense considering how long the average turtle's lifespan was. And he knew that there was a cave, and if the slab was placed inside of it, the beasts sealed within would be released and serve whoever freed them.

And with all said and done, their plan was set in motion. Soon enough, the world would pay for the mistreatment these five beings received.

Back in present time, Eevee was struggling while Palossand exclaimed, "SANDROLLER!" and headed toward her. But just as he was about to run her over, she gritted her teeth and growled, "No! I won't let you win!"

As such, she lifted herself onto the turnbuckle and performed a handstand, the crowd watching in awe and wonder. She then reeled back before flinging herself toward the shovel as Palossand's eyes widened. Fortunately, it was too late for him to respond as the fox wrapped her legs around the socket and forced it out of his head, causing his sand to once again collapse.

But just as he was about to reform once more, Eevee flipped herself and the shovel upside-down so her feet were now attached to the shaft. She then wrapped her arms around the socket as the cutting edge was now facing the canvas, her tail holding the handle grip in place.

The crowd knew exactly what was coming as she spun and formed a twister around herself. Surprisingly, this managed to create enough wind to keep the sand away from the shovel while Caterpie and Lycanroc held each other and cheered wildly.

Chespin beamed bright as he said, "It's finally over," Popplio waking up completely with a big smile of his own.

Soon enough, the shovel made contact with the canvas and bent inward while Eevee yelled, "BINDING FOX TWISTER!" the sand no longer able to move as she released her hold. Thus the shovel fell backward and lay there while the fox breathed heavily.

All went silent as Yukiko did not even need to wait. The result of this match could not have been more obvious, thus she rose her gavel and rang the bell, exclaiming, "And after a very long match full of close calls, more so than ever before, Eevee is our winner! Therefor, the ancient beast slab will remain in the Tokyo National Museum!"

The area erupted with cheers and applause as Caterpie let down a light tear and sniffed, "I was starting to wonder if she could really pull it off."

Lycanroc nodded and sighed, "It really is incredible, though. She's the only normal type in our group and yet this is the second time in a row she was the one to end it all. Eevee's amazing."

However, all went silent when a tiny bit of sand made its way over to the shovel, the object in question barely able to move as Palossand's face formed. However, since it was only a small amount and all he could manage was a two-inch high pile, it was not much as he looked beyond upset.

"I need to know something," he uttered, "How did someone like you get so much respect from the public?" as Eevee shrugged and replied, "I gave people a reason to respect me."

The pile's eyes widened as soon enough, an authority from Hero Planet entered the area and lifted him up, thus causing his sand to collapse for the last time while he said, "You're going away for a long time."

Before he could leave, Eevee bit her lower lip and said, "Wait," the authority turning to her. The fox was unsure why she did this, but something about Palossand's question made her wonder as she asked, "Can you keep his sand safe for him, so that way he'll have it when he's released?"

The man nodded as the sand was soon scooped into a new jar, this one being slightly bigger than the one used before. One could only guess how so much could fit in a jar that was just small enough to be carried, but no one dared question it as Palossand would soon join his allies in Hero Planet's prison.

Caterpie seemed to have something lingering on his mind as well as he noticed a fork lift being brought in to carry the slab back to the museum. He approached the owner, who was in the crowd and asked, "Hey, just out of curiosity, now that we know how dangerous this slab really is, wouldn't it make more sense to send it to Hero Planet for safe keeping?"

The woman turned to him and asked, "What do you mean?" the caterpillar replying, "It was a similar case many years ago when a group of thieves stole Giratina's mask and tried to revive him. It was ultimately decided that such a dangerous item shouldn't be kept in an Earth museum with only humans to watch over it."

The museum owner nodded her head and replied, "That's actually a good point. I'll have a word with your father about it. You may be full of yourself, but I have to admit, you're pretty smart."

'Did she have to bring up the entrance?' Caterpie thought with his eyelids lowered.

But even so, the important thing was that everything had turned out well. Palossand and his allies were in custody and there was even a big chance that the ancient beast slab would be placed in an area where it could never be stolen again.

With all said and done, Eevee and the others headed to the hospital and were happy to see their friends fully awake. Chespin had only just gotten enough strength to move while Popplio needed a while but reassured them he would not be in bed much longer. But of course, the main thing he wanted to talk about was Eevee's victory.

"I have to admit, you make me more and more proud every time you fight," the seal said with a grin as Eevee blushed lightly and replied, "Well, I have a really good teacher."

Popplio chuckled and stated, "Even so, you have a better track record than I do right now. The fact that you were able to come up with so many of those strategies without moi there to give you advice is absolutely incroyable. I don't think I ever would have come up with jumping to escape from inside of Palossand or even caught onto the fact that he was really a shovel the whole time."

"Wow, so you saw all of that," Eevee uttered as the seal nodded.

And with that, the group headed home, though they certainly intended to celebrate with a trip to the club tomorrow since Popplio would be well enough by then. But it was not only because of the victory but also Caterpie's revelation and the fact that Chespin could finally be near Lycanroc without feeling uncomfortable.

It was not long until that time came and all five heroes sat at the table with drinks and clinked their glasses together. They then enjoyed themselves as best as they could.

Popplio and Eevee played a round of pool together with a couple of human guests. All the while, Lycanroc used the karaoke machine while Caterpie and Chespin listened to her sing and gave her a round of applause.

Chespin stepped up when she was done and proved to be nowhere near as good, especially since his voice was so high-pitched that it wound up cracking every time he tried to hit a high note. Despite that, he still had fun and laughed along with the rest of the guests. If anything, he was just glad that he could enjoy moments like these with his friends, especially after having come so close to losing all of that.

The group wound up staying at the club until early in the evening. And once that rolled around, they all exited and decided to head home. Caterpie would start training with Lycanroc as soon as possible while Eevee and Popplio would resume their usual sparring matches. And of course, Chespin would get in some vigorous training as well. After all, he wanted to be ready when the next villain appeared.

Once night rolled around, Eevee lay awake in bed and beamed bright. She could not have felt happier. Her initial goal had been to upstage Umbreon, but now that she could finally call herself a true hero, she no longer cared about that. But at the same time, she hoped her sister had at least heard of her triumphs as of late.

'If only you could see me now,' the fox thought as she looked out the window at the stars, 'I bet you'd wish you never doubted me to begin with, eh?'

She then snickered before closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep. Yesterday had been a big day for her, and she was certain there would be more moments like that in the future.


	33. Chapter 33

It seemed that after Palossand's defeat, things had become fairly peaceful in Tokyo. Three months passed without a single villain popping up. And as if that was not enough for good news, every Hero Planet student had graduated a couple of months prior. To make things even better, there were plenty of news stories about many other areas having been peaceful for a good chunk of that time.

And of course, one who was really happy about this was Metapod as he read all the articles online. He let out a light chuckle at a recent one and said, "Well, well, well, our students are doing a fantastic job. Oh, that makes me so happy, I feel like celebrating!"

He then shifted his eyes back and forth and hopped off of his chair to head over to a specific area on the wall. He then reached out his right mantis-like arm and pressed a button that caused the entire section to come open and reveal a safe. But when he opened it, his eyes widened as he noticed there was not a whole lot of money in it. If anything, he was lucky to have any in there.

"OH SHIT!" he gasped, taking many deep breaths and falling on his side. He then hugged himself and whimpered, "Oh no, it's just like what Grandpa had to deal with! Now that the world feels safe, they don't feel the need to fund us anymore! And if they don't fund us, the Tower of Justice goes! If the Tower of Justice goes, we can't train future generations!"

He then shook his head, breathed heavily and uttered, "Okay, Metapod, calm down. You've never been alarmed by anything before because you always knew things were under control."

With that in mind, he headed over to his desk and picked up his phone, dialling up the number of the one person in the universe he could trust with this. And soon enough, he received a response as a wasp with two large stingers for hands named Beedrill answered and said, "Hello."

"Hey, Dad," Metapod replied before the old wasp gasped, "Well, hello Mister Chairman! Eh? Eh!?"

"Normally, I enjoy your sense of humour," the chrysalis sighed, "Unfortunately, I got a crisis on my hands," as Beedrill uttered, "Lemme guess, you're running low on funds because Earth hasn't needed protection for a while, right?"

"Yep," Metapod sighed, "I just need a quick reminder. What was it you suggested Grandpa Weedle do in this situation?"

The wasp nodded and explained, "Well, son, if the world is that peaceful right now, there's only one thing you can do. Back when I was in charge, I'd hold this every few years, but as of late, we haven't been doing it. It's a shame, because that event provides Hero Planet with a great deal of funding."

"Oh, okay," Metapod replied, blinking before asking, "So, what are you referring to?"

Beedrill slapped his forehead and thought, 'I love you, son, but you need to be better at taking hints,' before stating, "What I'm saying is that you need to revive the Hero Olympics. That is what got your grandpa out of debt."

"Of course!" the chrysalis exclaimed, "The Hero Olympics! I always dreamed of hosting that event, and now I have the power to do it! And it's the perfect time, too!"

He then realized he was acting far too excited for his usual self and cleared his throat, adding, "Thanks, Dad. I'll be sure to make this a great time for all."

"I'm sure you will, son," Beedrill sighed, "By the way, would you like to talk to your mother?" only for Metapod to hang up. It was not that he did not wish to speak to his mother but that he was so excited, he wanted to get started as soon as possible.

"Oh, is Metapod on the phone?" a purple butterfly named Butterfree asked as Beedrill sighed, "Never mind, Sugar."

Meanwhile, Eevee, Popplio and Chespin had been invited to Caterpie's mansion today. As it so happened, today was a rather big day, and he felt a fancy dinner from his staff would be the best way to celebrate it. But what they were celebrating was even a surprise for them. All Caterpie had done was give them a list of gifts to bring with them and tell them to dress in their nicest clothes for the occasion.

As such, Eevee wore a nice black dress she had bought a while back. Popplio was wearing a tuxedo while Chespin had a red bow tie. As it so happened, he had not bought anything else that could be deemed fancy.

"Why couldn't Caterpie just tell us what's going on?" Eevee groaned while holding a neatly wrapped box, "Does he even realize how hard it was to find this?"

Popplio shrugged and replied, "Well, considering he is keeping it a secret, it sounds to moi like it's not another staff member's birthday today. Besides, what would any of them need with black nail polish?"

"I'm just looking forward to another five-star meal," Chespin said with a big smile on his face, "I love the club, but man, nothing can beat his place. He really should turn his dining room into a restaurant."

And when they approached the gates, Eevee turned on a speaker next to it and said, "Hey, it's us," as Caterpie's voice came from the other end and replied, "Good! You're here at just the right time! Lycanroc will be back from her run any minute!"

With that, the gate was opened and the trio approached the door. And once they did, one of Caterpie's servants opened it for them and said, "Good to see you all here," bowing and directing them inside.

"Thanks, Rick," Eevee replied with a light bow of her head as they soon entered the dining hall where a big table had been rolled out and placed in the middle, all the others having been removed from the area. There were decorations all over the place, a large party ball overhead and banners saying 'Happy Birthday Lycanroc'.

Seeing this, Eevee and the others gasped, "Oh my god, it should have been obvious!" Caterpie entering in his finest suit and saying, "So glad you could join us. I want you all to hide your gifts under your assigned seats. I've gone to the trouble of labelling the chairs so you won't be confused."

"This is really nice," Chespin said with a big smile, "But why didn't you tell us this was coming up?" as Caterpie chuckled and replied, "It's just, this is our first time celebrating a friend's birthday party. I wanted it to be special for all of us, not just Lycanroc."

"Well, aren't you just a little sweetheart?" Eevee enquired with a devious grin, "I bet Lycanroc's gonna love you for this, in more ways than one. Wink!" performing that very action after saying it.

Caterpie's head turned red like a tomato as he retorted, "I have no idea what you're talking about!" before Eevee laughed and slid her present under her chair, the others doing the same.

Once they did so, a maid flew into the room and exclaimed, "Master Caterpie, Lady Lycanroc's almost here!" the caterpillar nodding and saying, "Right. All of you stand near me."

The others nodded as Popplio and Chespin stood next to the caterpillar and Eevee went behind him. Once the wolf entered the room, the party ball opened up and streamers fell from inside, all four heroes shouting, "Happy birthday, Lycanroc!"

Lycanroc's eyes and mouth were wide with shock as she looked around at all the party supplies. She then clasped her paws over her mouth and tried to contain her tears. While her parents had always thrown her parties before, none of them were anywhere near as nice as this.

The others could tell how happy she was when she smiled sweetly at them, Lycanroc no longer able to hold it in as she ran over to the group and embraced them, sniffing, "Thank you so much! You're the best!" Caterpie's eyes about to pop out of their sockets.

Soon enough, everyone was seated at the dining table as a big dinner had been spread out. There was a wide variety of different dishes, such as Miso soup with mussels, tofu with crab sauce, glazed black cod, Japanese meatballs and kushimono. Living in a mansion allowed Lycanroc to enjoy meals like these all the time, but this felt extra special considering the circumstances.

The group enjoyed the meal for a while until the wolf sighed, "You know, as nice as this meal is, the best part is the fact that all of you are here to enjoy it with me. It just means so much."

"Hey, it's my pleasure," Chespin said through a mouthful of cod as Eevee popped a meatball into her mouth and added, "Yeah, same here."

Popplio rolled his eyes at this and smiled, saying, "Well, you are a really good ami. How could we miss such a momentous occasion?"

Once dinner was officially done, the others pulled out the presents from under their seats, Lycanroc more than happy with everything she had received. She grinned and squealed, "Oh, this is all stuff I wanted this year! How did you all know!?"

Just as they were about to explain, Caterpie shook his head and made a zipper motion in front of his mouth, Eevee shrugging and replying, "Hey, we know you well enough to know what you like."

Lycanroc's happiness would only go up when three servants entered with a present in each one's hands. They then presented them to the wolf as a moth explained, "These are from your friends and family back in Edmonton."

She gasped, "Wow, they remembered!" as Caterpie nodded and replied, "They actually sent them last week, but I had the staff hide them so they'd be a surprise."

"That's so sweet!" Lycanroc replied with a childish grin before ripping open the wrapping paper for all three. From Noivern, she got skull earrings while Litwick had sent her a candle made from her wax. As it so happened, since she was not a normal candle, her wick had grown back and thus she had her flame and was able to help the bat fight evil.

But of course, the gift Lycanroc looked the most forward to was the one from her parents. They had sent her the most simple gift, a photo of them with a nice black picture frame that resembled artistic wind designs. Needless to say, this was her favourite as she beamed and said, "This is going right by my bedside."

With the gifts out of the way, Caterpie clapped his hands together and said, "Of course, this party would not be complete without the piece de resistance," as soon enough, a nice cake with vanilla frosting was brought into the area.

Lycanroc had a bit of drool coming down her lower lip as she quickly dabbed it with a napkin, the servants setting it down. And on top was a candle shaped like the number sixteen.

With that, the others immediately nodded and sang, "Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday, Lycanroc, happy birthday to you!" the wolf wiping another tear from her eye before blowing out the candle.

"Alright, let's have some cake!" Eevee squealed as Popplio chuckled, "You just can't wait, can you?"

Lycanroc nodded and said, "I'm with Eevee. I just wanna dive into that cake right now," Caterpie blinking and uttering, "Wow, I didn't know you liked cake that much. Guess we may as well do this."

And with that, the cake was cut into separate fragments as Lycanroc's piece was twice as big as everyone else's. After all, not only was she the birthday girl, but she had specifically requested this size. Even Eevee could not imagine her first piece being that big, even at her own party.

And it was not long until the wolf picked up the fragment with her paws and shoved it into her mouth, Chespin staring in stunned silence. The others had no idea how to react, but they figured commenting on this would only spoil the moment, so they chose to overlook it.

But just as Lycanroc was ready for seconds, a butterfly flew into the room and exclaimed, "Master Caterpie, your father just gave us a call! He wants you to watch the news right now!"

"Oh, it must be serious, then," the caterpillar replied as Lycanroc sighed and got up, saying, "I'd probably better join you. It might be an emergency, right?"

Chespin gave her a look of concern and asked, "Are you really okay with this?" as the wolf nodded and replied, "I already got a piece of cake. This could have come up at a worse time, right?" shrugging her shoulders while the others nodded in agreement.

With that in mind, everyone headed to Caterpie's large TV room where he turned on the big screen device in question. And sure enough, his father was seated at his desk as Eevee cringed and nervously uttered, "That's your father? Isn't he handsome?"

Popplio blinked and said, "So your dad's a chrysalis," Chespin enquiring, "Why does he look like a bulldog?" everyone else staring at him as he shrugged and added, "What?"

"Attention, people of Earth," Metapod stated, "It is I, Metapod, the chairman of Hero Planet. Anyway, it has come to my attention that Earth's crime rate has dropped significantly. I could not be happier, and thus I feel now is a very good time to celebrate with a time-honoured event that has not been seen in quite a while."

"Oh, so this is good news," Caterpie said with a big smile as Lycanroc nodded and sighed, "For a second there, I thought maybe we'd have to go and face off against a new villain."

Chespin sighed, "Actually, that dog-faced guy has a point. It has been surprisingly peaceful these last few months," as the others stared at him again, Lycanroc retorting, "Dude, that's Caterpie's dad!"

However, the caterpillar hardly seemed to care while Metapod continued, "The event I am referring to is a great competition to decide who deserves to be called the greatest hero in the world. I, of course, refer to the Hero Olympics."

Now everyone's interest had peaked. Even the nearby servants stopped what they were doing to listen in as the chrysalis continued, "Specifically, we will hold the thirtieth Hero Olympics, and since it's been a while, we'll hold it in Tokyo, the first place it was ever held. It was also where Machoke and Lucario fought in the twenty-forth Olympic finals and Machop became world champion in the twenty-eighth."

Many people all over Tokyo were listening in, including Machop and Isamu as the man said, "Hey, maybe you should join. Just 'cause you're in your forties doesn't mean you can't defend your title," as the woman chuckled and replied, "You're such a sap," ruffling his hair.

Umbreon, meanwhile, was beyond intrigued, though Crabrawler was not so sure he was ready for such a thing. Though he knew his father would probably scold him if he did not at least try, plus Umbreon would definitely want to compete with him.

And of course, many others, including Noivern and Litwick were more than up to it as was Cyndaquil. Needless to say, there would be a lot of heroes trying out for this event.

"Now, for those who don't remember, one must complete a specific test before being accepted into the Olympics," Metapod explained, "The first thing you must do is head to your home country and sign up for one of three small tournaments. You'll find details on the official Hero Olympics website as to which cities you should go to. Remember, only eight can sign up for each tournament and only the three winners will represent their respective countries."

Eevee smirked and thought, 'Just you wait. I'll be one of those three,' though at the same time, she really hoped Umbreon would not join the same tournament as her. If anything, she wanted to face her sister in the Olympics themselves.

"Also, for the first time in Olympic history, we will have someone representing Hero Planet," Metapod added as Caterpie blinked and uttered, "He'd better not be implying what I think he is."

And sure enough, it was just as he feared as the chrysalis added, "That's right, folks. My son, Caterpie, has already been accepted into the Olympics. After all, he's my son, so it's only natural," the caterpillar twitching as Chespin asked, "What's wrong? I thought you'd be happy about that."

"No!" Caterpie retorted, "Don't you get it! He's saying that I'm the only participant who doesn't have to earn the right to compete!"

Eevee turned to him and suggested, "Well, he did say we all have to return to our home countries for this. Maybe you should head to Hero Planet and have a word with him. Demand that he at least enter you in a tournament as well, or even have you fight one opponent just to prove your worth."

Lycanroc nodded as the caterpillar replied, "Yeah, that's exactly what I'm gonna do," Metapod stating, "Anyway, I look forward to seeing you all compete. But you'd better hurry and book some flights, because those tournaments will likely fill up fast."

Thus the broadcast came to a close as Caterpie turned to Lycanroc and said, "Well, we best finish this party first, eh?" the wolf nodding. Though she would certainly book a flight to Canada first thing in the morning.

The same went for the others as well. Eevee could not wait to head to Thailand. And if one of those tournaments was held in her hometown, she would get to see her family and old friends after so long.

Popplio also looked forward to seeing France again. And Chespin was certainly excited to return to Spain. Needless to say, none of them could wait this.

The rest of the day went by peacefully, though the group figured if they were not going to see each other for a while, they may as well extend Lycanroc's party. As such, they decided to head to the club where everyone treated Lycanroc extra special. And after that, they went to see a horror movie that she really wanted to see.

Throughout the entire experience, Caterpie was clinging to Lycanroc's side as the wolf chuckled and patted him on the head to reassure him. Though even Eevee was having trouble getting through it while Popplio and Chespin held their popcorn bags in front of their faces every time a horrifying moment came up.

Once that was over, the heroes left the theatre with Eevee whimpering, "What's wrong with me? I defeated a giant bat," as Popplio uttered, "And you'd think after losing to Lugarugan, nothing would freak moi out."

Caterpie, however, forgot all about it as he asked, "Did you have fun today, Lycanroc?" the wolf nodding and squealing, "Thank you all so much! This was the best birthday ever! And just think, had this been a day later, I wouldn't have been able to celebrate it with you all!"

Chespin nodded and said, "I'll miss you guys while I'm in Spain. I mean, we'll only be away from each other for a couple of weeks, but actually, that is a pretty long time, isn't it?"

Eevee nodded and said, "Either way, we're all gonna make it to the Hero Olympics, right?" as everyone nodded and replied in unison, "Right!"

With that in mind, they all pounded their fists together and headed home to rest up. Tomorrow would be the start of something big and they all wanted to be fully energized for it.

Meanwhile, in Maui, Tapu Koko had heard the news on an old radio as he asked, "So, Mapin, do you wanna join? It might be a good test of your skills."

The girl shook her head and replied, "No. You said I needed a total of five months to work on my skills and I intend to stay here until my time is up. I still have two more, after all. I guess this will be the first time in ages that a member of the Mach family won't be entering the Hero Olympics."

"Good," Koko replied with a smile, "I actually wouldn't have let you go anyway. This was merely a test to see how serious you are about your training, and it's good to see you still take it as seriously as you did before."

Mapin nodded with a grin and said, "Don't you worry. You've already made me a better fighter than I could have ever hoped to be. I won't stop now."


	34. Chapter 34

The heroes of the world were beyond excited as the Hero Olympics preliminary tournaments would be starting in the next couple of weeks. All of them had returned to their respective countries to sign up with Eevee lucking out and finding a tournament in her hometown of Bangkok.

But as soon as she signed up, she realized that not only did this mean she could train at home, but she could also spend this time with her parents. After all, it had been more than four months since she last saw them and it would certainly be nice.

With that in mind, she headed to her old home. It was a rather nice two-story house with a picket fence out front. As she opened it up and headed toward the door, she bit her lower lip and had the biggest smile on her face. And once she stood in front, she rang the doorbell three times in sync.

After a few seconds, a beautiful orange fox answered while her eyes lit up. Eevee's smile grew before the two shared a tight embrace and squealed in unison, the brown fox tackling her mom to the floor as they laughed loudly.

"Who is it, honey?" came a male voice from another room, a middle-aged human with hair that matched Flareon's fur entering the room.

"Hi, Daddy!" Eevee squealed as she leapt off of Flareon's chest and into the man's arms. Luckily, she often acted this way around them, so he was more than prepared to catch her while he laughed and said, "Well, look who's gotten stronger. You almost knocked me down this time."

Flareon rose to her feet and grinned, suggesting, "Hey, Chanchai, how's about helping me out with dinner? After all, our little champion came all this way to see us. The least we can do is whip up a nice Pad Thai, you know, her favourite."

Eevee's eyes sparkled as she nodded and squealed, "That sounds awesome! I haven't had that in forever!" entering the kitchen to watch them prepare it.

Soon enough, all three were seated for dinner while Eevee looked around and sighed, "You know, it's weird not having Umbreon here to try and claim the last helping for herself."

Flareon nodded and said, "Yeah, we would have loved for the whole family to be here. But she signed up for the tournament in Krabi, so she'd rather get all the training she can there while she has the time."

Eevee frowned as Chanchai shrugged and stated, "Well, that's just like her. Honestly, I think she has the right idea. One trip from Krabi to Bangkok is already pretty long. Imagine taking two."

Eevee shrugged her shoulders and thought, 'Oh well, at least she's not here to claim the last helping of Pad Thai,' though for some reason, a part of her still wished her sister could have been there.

As she served herself a second helping, Flareon smirked and said, "Though still, it truly amazes me that you're entering a tournament as well. When Umbreon told me you weren't fit to be a hero, I knew she was wrong."

Chanchai nodded and added, "Yeah. We've seen your matches on TV, and while we weren't too impressed by the first couple, everything after that has truly amazed us," Eevee blushing bright and whimpering, "You saw my loss to Golisopod?"

Flareon laughed and replied, "Don't worry about it. I lost plenty of matches back in the day. You might not believe it, but I, your awesome mother, have a grand total of ten losses on my record," winking at Eevee as she stared silently and uttered, "Ten!?"

Flareon nodded and added, "In fact, I never even made it to the Olympics. I lost the first round of the preliminaries," Chanchai nodding and sighing, "Not one of her proudest moments."

Eevee could not believe her ears. All this time, she thought her mother was one of the best of her generation, and yet so far, the brown fox had a better track record than she did. Now she felt even more confident about all of this.

"Oh, and by the way, thank you for basing your first signature move off of mine," Flareon said with a wink as Eevee beamed and squealed, "Well, it seemed like the best course of action in that situation! As you've seen, that move has helped me a lot!"

Chanchai nodded and said, "I bet if you fought your sister in the Olympics, you might actually beat her," Flareon giving him a cold look briefly before chuckling and sighing, "Well, I hope you both do your absolute best, but I can't help but imagine the look on her face if she actually lost to you."

Eevee nodded and let out a sigh, wondering if such a thing really was possible. While the brown fox had improved so much since she fought Noivern, she still felt Umbreon was better than her. But even so, she would try her best and prepare herself for a possible fight with her, even if the odds of them facing off were slim and sounded far too convenient.

Soon enough, night came around as she crawled under the covers of her old bed, thinking, 'It's just as nice as I remember it being. And best of all, I get to sleep here for two whole weeks,' before closing her eyes and dreaming about the upcoming tournament.

For the next couple of weeks, all of the heroes competing trained long and hard. Though Eevee did have a slight advantage over Umbreon as she had Flareon to serve as her training partner. And while the orange fox had weakened with age like the others from her generation, she still proved to be a worthwhile opponent.

Every so often, Chanchai would come out and provide them with drinks so they could keep their energy up. Needless to say, they could not have been more grateful.

Though on the day before the preliminaries while out on a jog, Eevee reunited with a couple of human friends from the school she used to go to. One was a girl named Niew and the other was a boy called Wiriya. Both were certainly very happy to see her as they decided to join her.

After a while, the trio sat on a bench as Niew said, "I've made sure to watch every single on your matches online. Because of school, it's hard to catch all of them while they're showing, but I refuse to miss a single one."

Wiriya nodded and added, "Yeah, and I have to say, I never knew you were so awesome," only for Eevee to give him a cold look and remark, "Oh, you didn't, did you?"

The boy tensed up until she broke out into hysterics and sighed, "I really missed you guys. I wish you could all come to Tokyo and meet my friends there. You'd love them."

"I'm sure we would," Niew replied with a big smile, "By the way, any boys in your life?" as Eevee looked down and groaned, "No."

Wiriya patted her on the shoulder and coaxed, "Don't feel too ashamed. I'm still single myself no matter how hard I try," as Niew remarked, "That's because you try too hard. Seriously, do you have to live up to your name?"

Eevee laughed before breathing in the air and sighing, "I'd love to stay and chat with you longer, but I really need to train for the tournament. You'll all be there, right?"

"But of course," Wiriya replied, "We wouldn't miss it for the world. Though we'll have to watch it online. After all it may be Summer vacation in Japan where you live right now, but here, it isn't."

Niew nodded and said, "But don't forget, we'll always be cheering for you in spirit," as Eevee grinned and squealed, "That's all I could ever ask for!" giving the two a hug before resuming her jog.

Once night rolled around, Eevee had agreed to help Flareon cook dinner. After all, she felt like she had done enough training for the day.

She found herself struggling greatly as she tried her best to cut green onions. She even came close to cleaving her own paw off when Flareon said, "Careful. You don't wanna lose a hand before the big event, do you?"

"I know," the brown fox grumbled, "You just make it look so easy," as Flareon chuckled and enquired, "Okay, you've never been interested in making anything besides salads before. Is this for a guy?"

"What!? No!" Eevee squeaked with her cheeks light pink, "I just figured that as long as I live on my own, I should learn how to make more than easy stuff."

"That is reasonable," Flareon replied, "But there is a guy involved, right?" Eevee sighing, "Well, it's not what you think. It's just that my new best friend, Popplio, is a really good cook. Every so often, I go to his place and he makes me dinner, and I don't wanna have to rely on him for variety all the time."

The orange fox felt as if there was more to it than that, but she figured this was the best she would get as she nodded and said, "Well, let me teach you a few cutting techniques. For instance, I asked for green onion slices, not chunks."

Eevee laughed nervously and uttered, "Maybe you should guide me through this," as Flareon nodded and did her best to help her daughter out.

After a while, the brown fox had gotten the hang of cutting as Flareon said, "Trust me, when it comes to really good presentation, good cutting is one of the most important steps. Though consistency is something I don't think I'll ever truly master."

And with that, the rest of the evening went by swimmingly. The meal turned out great and everyone enjoyed themselves. But since the start of the preliminaries would be tomorrow, Eevee decided to call it an early night since she wanted as much energy as possible.

While she lay awake in bed and looked up at the ceiling, she thought about who her first opponent would be. After all, along with Umbreon, there were two other heroes who grew up in Bangkok and for all she knew, she might just end up facing either one of them in the first round. And even if she won, there were still two others to get through.

Despite all of her accomplishments and the kind of opponents she had defeated, she still felt nervous. The only truly uplifting thing to think about was the fact that she would not have to face Umbreon so soon. She wanted to at least make it to the Olympics first.

Once morning rolled around, Eevee woke up as soon as possible to have an early breakfast. And while she munched on toast, Flareon and Chanchai entered the kitchen and grinned at her. After all, the orange fox was exactly the same when she was Eevee's age.

Once ten o'clock rolled around, Flareon drove Eevee to the arena and said, "I'll be sure to get a front-row seat," before sighing, "Though it's a real shame your father had to work today."

Eevee shrugged and replied, "Yeah, but what are you gonna do? He is a manager, after all," before stepping out of the car and racing inside.

Flareon chuckled and stepped out herself, but while she did not rush quite as quickly as Eevee did, she still walked fairly fast. After all, she was just as excited about this as she was. She was finally going to see her own daughter fight in person and she just knew the brown fox would be great.

Eevee approached a desk and flashed an ID she had been given when she graduated from Hero School. Upon seeing it, the receptionist nodded and said, "Head down that hallway," pointing to her left, "There, you'll be able to prepare yourself for the first match."

The fox nodded and squealed, "Thanks!" before heading off. But as she wandered the hallway, she found it odd that none of the other heroes seemed to have arrived yet. But even so, she shrugged and figured that only meant she was first.

All the while, the bleachers were now full as a young man sat behind a desk and stated, "Ladies and gentlemen, the first round of the Bangkok preliminary tournament is about to begin. The first match will start at eleven, so if anyone needs to get up for any reason, now's your chance."

Flareon did not manage a front-row seat like she had hoped, but she was seated in the second row. That was close enough for her liking as she beamed and thought, 'I remember when I fought here. Hopefully, Eevee won't meet the same fate I did.'

Meanwhile, the brown fox was currently using a practise dummy to hone her skills while imaging her opponent's face on it. She smirked and thought, 'Oh yeah, this is gonna be awesome,' as she realized she would also need to work on an entrance.

When eleven finally came, the announcer exclaimed, "Alright, folks, we're finally ready to begin the first round of the Bangkok preliminaries!" the crowd clapping before he added, "I am Mongkut and it is my pleasure to introduce the contestants for the first match!"

"I wonder if my daughter will be first," Flareon squealed as she turned to a woman seated next to her and whispered, "She's competing in the tournament."

Mongkut cleared his throat and pointed to the right, exclaiming, "In the red corner is a very spirited fighter who grew up in this very city!" Flareon's eyes sparkling as he added, "And though she is currently assigned to Tokyo, she has come all the way here to grace us with her presence! Everyone, give a round of applause for Eevee!"

Many members of the crowd certainly recognized that name and cheered wildly, the fox sprinting toward the ring with a jersey on. She then performed a series of somersaults before leaping into the air and landing perfectly on the mat with her legs in a splits formation. However, the cheers came to a halt when they heard a light crunch, Eevee's eyes wide open as she whimpered, "Okay, I was not ready to try that."

She then slowly rose back to her feet and threw her jersey off before the cheers resumed. While she was happy to see her mother, a part of her really wished Niew and Wiriya did not have to attend classes right now so they could be there as well. But even so, she would do her absolute best.

"That was great, sweetie!" Flareon squealed, "I never would have attempted the splits! I'm so proud of you!" the brown fox lowering her eyelids and thinking, 'Why couldn't she have worked today too?'

But as embarrassed as she was by that, it was still nice to have her there as Mongkut blinked and said, "Right. Anyway, in the blue corner is another hero who grew up here in Bangkok."

Eevee's eyes lit up as she thought, 'Could it be?' the man adding, "This fighter comes from a line of ferocious fire users, and while she is adorable, one must never underestimate her talents. Everyone, give a warm welcome to Cyndaquil!"

Even Flareon could not believe this when the shrew rolled into the area with smoke covering her entire body. She then leapt up out of the cloud and landed on her feet, squealing, "I'M GONNA KICK ASS!" the crowd cheering wildly as Mongkut said, "While certainly simpler, I'd say that entrance is a winner."

Cyndaquil was certainly an interesting specimen as she had bluish fur from the top half of her head all the way down her back and milky fur on her front side. She had four red dots on her back that she used to form the smoke from earlier and a long snout.

However, Cyndaquil stopped posing when she noticed just who her opponent was. Her eyes were always squinted, so she was unable to widen them, but she could not have been happier as she smiled wide and squealed, "EEVEE!"

The brown fox beamed bright and exclaimed, "It's been so long!" the two giving one-another a hug as the audience was unsure how to respond to this. Mongkut let down light tears and sniffed, "This is just so touching! It's always nice to see friends getting along, even when they have to fight each other!"

Upon hearing those words, Eevee blinked and uttered, "Oh yeah, that's right, we do have to fight, don't we?" Cyndaquil nodding and replying, "Yeah. Isn't it cool how we're the first to face off in this tournament?"

Eevee nodded and replied, "Yeah, it sure is," heading toward her own side of the ring as Cyndaquil did the same. But while the shrew did not notice it, something was off about the brown fox's tone when she said that, but what?

"Well, folks, it looks like these two are ready and raring to go," Mongkut stated, "So without further ado, let us begin!" ringing the bell as Cyndaquil wasted no time racing toward Eevee.

The fox readied herself and thought, 'Remember what Popplio would do in this situation,' only to suddenly tense up before the shrew rammed her skull into her chest.

Eevee winced as Cyndaquil proceeded to send a barrage of punches into her gut, squealing, "As you can see, I've gotten really good!" before taking hold of her arm and pinning her to the mat.

The crowd cheered for the shrew while Mongkut exclaimed, "And Cyndaquil's off to an incredible start! Eevee just can't seem to fight back as she finds herself in an arm lock!"

The brown fox cried out in pain as Flareon blinked and uttered, "I wanna cheer her on, but Cyndaquil's her friend. That would be so unsportsmanlike," before thinking, 'But seriously, what was that? It looked like Eevee wasn't even trying, but that can't be right.'

Seeing her mother's confusion and remembering how much all of her friends would have likely wanted her to win, Eevee smirked and said, "Not bad, Cyndaquil, but let's see how you respond to this."

The crowd was truly impressed when the brown fox pushed herself up while ignoring the extra strain this put on her arm. With that, she propelled herself into the air and flipped herself over, planting Cyndaquil's back into the canvas, the shrew gasping and releasing her hold. Now the area was filled with cheers and applause as Eevee was just about to set up an elbow drop toward Cyndaquil's gut.

However, she once again hesitated but shook her head and went for it. Unfortunately, by this point, the shrew had gotten over the pain and smirked, holding her arms up, grabbing her elbow and saying, "That was a pretty cool escape, but you're not the only one who wants to win this."

She then sent her feet hard into Eevee's gut, sending her into the air. With that, Cyndaquil leapt up to her level and wrapped one arm around her neck, leaning backward and planting her skull into the mat.

Eevee's eyes and mouth were wide open while the shrew released her hold and allowed her to collapse. The crowd was even more supportive as one member exclaimed, "You rule, Cyndaquil!" another saying, "I have to admit, I was really hoping this would be more evenly matched, but I'm loving this."

Eevee gasped and quickly sprang back to her feet, though she was breathing heavily as she thought, 'What is wrong with me? Why did I stop? I've never held back before, so why?'

Cyndaquil did not seem to notice, though, while she leapt back and forth using one foot at a time while squealing, "Good, you're up! I'd hate to beat you so easily!"

But for all Eevee knew, that might still happen. After all, she had barely done a thing so far, and it was not because she found Cyndaquil too strong. There was something else going on, but what was it?


	35. Chapter 35

So far, things were not looking good for Eevee. While she had been super excited and prepared for the first round of Bangkok's preliminary tournament, Cyndaquil already dealt quite a few strong blows to her. And to make matters worse, all of this was because the Eevee kept hesitating to strike her, but why?

Cyndaquil did not seem to notice this as she leapt toward Eevee and sent a two-legged kick into her midsection. At that moment, Flareon could no longer keep quiet as she stood up and barked, "Hey, Eevee, honey, take advantage of this!"

Eevee gasped, "Right!" taking hold of Cyndaquil's ankles and swinging her around. The crowd cheered for her now as she released her hold and sent the shrew careening head-first into the turnbuckle. Now it finally seemed like she could win this after all.

A smile formed on her face while Mongkut stated, "And after taking in quite a beating, Eevee gets the upper hand with a giant swing! Let's see if she can keep this up, folks!"

But just as soon as that smile appeared, it left when Eevee noticed Cyndaquil backing away from the pole and shaking the pain off of her head. Once again, the brown fox's anxiety returned as the shrew beamed and squeaked, "Now that's what I call a counter! I'll need to step up my A-game for sure!"

With that in mind, she tucked herself into a ball while smoke emerged from the dots on her back. Everyone stared in curiosity as she squealed, "FLAME WHEEL!" and rolled toward the brown fox while her entire body was now covered in it.

Eevee took a deep breath and thought, 'Remember the others,' narrowing her eyelids and preparing a counterattack. But when Cyndaquil closed in, she once again hesitated and took the attack to her gut. Combined with the smoke rising up, she could not resist coughing as Cyndaquil took full advantage of this by wrapping her arms around the brown fox's waist.

"Not sure why specifically that move was called Flame Wheel when she only made smoke," Mongkut stated, "But either way, Cyndaquil's managed to catch Eevee off guard as she sets her up for a suplex."

Cyndaquil proceeded to leap into the air and lean backward, planting the back of Eevee's neck into the canvas while Mongkut added, "Eevee just can't seem to catch another break! While she has landed a couple of good blows, there's no doubt that this match is feeling very one-sided, folks!"

After Cyndaquil released her hold, Eevee mustered up enough strength to roll backwards and away from her. She then positioned herself upright and breathed heavily, once again wondering just what was wrong with her. She wanted so badly to prove how good she had become and yet for some reason, just looking at Cyndaquil made her nervous.

However, the shrew seemed to notice this briefly as she thought, 'I know I should be happy about this, but something feels off. It shouldn't be this easy, should it?'

She then shook her head and figured it was nothing. If she dropped her guard, there was no doubt Eevee would probably perform better against her. As such, she leapt backward toward the ropes and bounced off of them with her leg stretched out for another kick.

"Eevee, you know what to do!" Flareon barked as the brown fox gasped and attempted to counter. But it was too late, thus she took the kick to her face and backed up, rubbing that very spot.

Now Cyndaquil could finally see it as she leapt away from her. However, she needed to test something out, therefor she forced a smirk and said, "You know, Eevee, so far, I'm the only one who's been moving throughout this entire match. Come on, where's all that energy you used to have? Come at me like you used to, eh?"

Eevee's eyes widened as she remembered it like it was yesterday. She and Cyndaquil used to spar all the time, and since this was long before Popplio taught her to think more logically, both would race at one-another and wrestle. Though the biggest difference was that they were always equal.

With the brown fox as strong as she was now, she should have had what it took to defeat the shrew. With that in mind, she took a deep breath and thought, 'Right,' before racing toward her.

Once close enough, she prepared a high kick only to hesitate again, Cyndaquil frowning and taking hold of her ankle. She then used all her might to force Eevee onto her back while the crowd cheered for her once more. Flareon bit her lower lip as the woman next to her said, "Your daughter's not looking so good out there. Maybe you should get a towel and throw it in for her."

"Hey, we Chimlins don't forfeit," Flareon grunted, folding her arms and thinking, 'Please, Eevee. Cyndaquil clearly wanted you to hit her with that.'

When Eevee rose back to her feet, for the first time in her entire life, Cyndaquil looked irritated as she folded her arms and gave her friend a cold stare. The brown fox gave her a strange look while she tapped her foot.

"I knew it," Cyndaquil growled, "You're holding back on me, aren't you?"

Eevee's eyes widened as she grunted, "What happened to you, Eevee!? You used to take me seriously! You know I can handle pain, so why do you seem so afraid of hurting me!"

The crowd gasped as, while this should have been obvious, they could not believe what they had just heard. So all this time, the reason for Eevee's poor display was not due to a lack of skill.

The brown fox stared for a few seconds until she finally realized why she kept hesitating. As such, she let out a sigh and groaned, "I know you can handle it. That's not the reason."

"Then what is it?" the shrew retorted, "If you're not afraid of hurting me, then what are you so afraid of? Why can't you treat me like any other opponent!?"

"Well, I know making it into the Olympics has always been your dream," Eevee whimpered, "I guess I didn't wanna take that away from you, you know?"

While Cyndaquil had a bit of trouble accepting this at first, she soon took a deep breath as a light smile formed on her face. She then looked into Eevee's eyes and sighed, "Look, Eevee, that's really sweet. You really are the bestest best friend I could have had. But do you think I want a free victory?"

The brown fox blinked before she added, "You're right, I would love to win this match and have a shot at making it into the Olympics so I can perform in front of millions. But if I don't truly earn this victory, it won't feel satisfying. I'll constantly think about how my best friend literally handed this spot to me and mess up in the first event. Not only would I feel cheated, but I'd feel like I robbed you of a chance too, and that's even worse."

Flareon let down light tears and sniffed, "Thank you, Cyndaquil," before blinking and uttering, "Though that really should have been obvious. Why didn't I realize that first?"

Cyndaquil gave her friend a sweeter smile and said, "Come on, let's continue this fight, but for real, okay? I want you to give it your all."

Eevee nodded as she felt a huge weight had been lifted off of her chest. Now she had no doubt in her mind that she could win this match and advance to the second round. And with that in mind, she stood her ground while Cyndaquil rolled up into a ball and covered herself in smoke again.

"FLAME WHEEL!" she squealed before heading toward the brown fox. But this time, Eevee was ready as she sent a kick into her side thus halting her attack and catching her off guard.

Eevee took full advantage of her current state and delivered a karate chop to her forehead while the crowd went wild. And it did not end there as she dashed behind Cyndaquil and wrapped her arms around her, lifting her up for a suplex of her own.

"That's more like it!" Cyndaquil squealed, "But I got a way to counter this, remember!?" releasing smoke from her back and shouting, "SMOKESCREEN!"

Luckily, Eevee had seen this coming since she had been on the receiving end of it many times in their youth. As such, she closed her eyes and held her breath before leaning back further and connecting the suplex.

The crowd cheered wildly as Mongkut exclaimed, "And after taking in all kinds of torment, Eevee finally gets the upper hand with a couple of good hits and a suplex! Cyndaquil will need to up her game if she wants the advantage back!"

"There's the challenge I wanted!" the shrew squealed as she latched her ankles to Eevee's neck. She then rolled backward and pulled the brown fox with her thus flinging her away and sending her back into the canvas.

She then propelled herself into the air and planted her feet into Eevee's midsection before leaping away from her and saying, "Now that actually felt earned," the crowd beyond pumped now. Just seeing both fighters on more equal ground only made the match more entertaining as they hoped to see more.

And sure enough, it did seem as if they would get their wish when Eevee sprang back to her feet and said, "You're just as good as I remember, but I've changed quite a bit since we last sparred."

"Oh?" Cyndaquil replied with a smirk, "Is that so? Well, go on and show me how you've improved," as Flareon nodded and thought, 'That's right. Not everyone here has seen your matches, so show them exactly what you're made of.'

The shrew once again leapt at Eevee only for her to step to the side and grab hold of her ankle. She then lifted her into the air with her leg bent forward and planted her back into her knee.

"For starters, a good friend of mine has taught me how to fight with my brain instead of barrelling into danger like I used to," Eevee explained as she released her hold on Cyndaquil and sent her elbow into her gut.

Now the brown fox was certain she was ready to end this while she flipped backward toward the ropes, adding, "But most of all, I've created a total of three signature moves, and I intend to finish you off with the first one I ever made."

"I'm touched," Cyndaquil replied as she sprang to her feet and leapt toward the opposite ropes, "But unfortunately for you, my plan was to take you down the same way, and there's no way I'm losing this opportunity!"

With that, smoke once again seeped from her back while she and Eevee rolled up into balls. And when they made contact with the ropes, both sets stretched back further than usual. After all, they really did intend on these being the last moves the crowd would see from them today.

"FLYING FOX WHEEL!" Eevee squeaked as she launched herself toward Cyndaquil, the shrew doing the same and shouting, "FLAME WHEEL!"

Soon enough, both heroes collided and stayed airborne for quite some time, sparks flying from them as some audience members could swear they actually saw a light flame flicker on Cyndaquil's back. But it died out soon enough when the two wound up being more evenly matched than expected and flew backwards, each one's back hitting the canvas hard.

As they lay there, all went silent among the crowd until Flareon uttered, "Wow, I actually wasn't expecting that," while Mongkut said, "Well, folks, it would seem both of our fighters have knocked each other down with their impressive finishing moves. Whoever gets up first is our winner."

Flareon cupped her paws together as, while she knew it was wrong to play favourites in this situation, she still wanted Eevee to win. Unfortunately, it seemed as if that might not be the case when Cyndaquil smirked and thought, 'You're awesome, Eevee, but this match is mine.'

But as she attempted to rise up, she wound up feeling too weak and struggled a lot. And before she could even try to get used to the pain, Eevee's eyes opened and she sprang to her feet, the crowd smiling wide and giving her a round of applause.

"And after a very close call, Eevee is our winner and has advanced to the semi-finals!" Mongkut exclaimed while the cheers only got louder, Flareon jumping up and down while clapping and shouting, "THAT'S MY DAUGHTER! THAT'S MY DAUGHTER!"

The woman next to her laughed nervously and uttered, "You must be so proud," before sighing, "Though that was pretty cool."

Cyndaquil had finally gotten used to the pain as she sat upright and rubbed the back of her head, saying, "Wow, Eevee, you weren't kidding. You really are a lot better than you used to be."

Eevee turned and asked, "Are you alright?" the shrew nodding with a big grin and replying, "Think about who you're talking to! You're not the only one with fighting spirit!"

"Well, there was that, but I meant-" the brown fox uttered only for Cyndaquil to sigh, "Look, like you said, I've always wanted to represent Thailand in the Hero Olympics. But hey, if I'm gonna lose, I may as well lose it to you. Anyone else and I would have been pissed."

Eevee stared silently before the two shared a good laugh, the two pounding their fists together as Cyndaquil slowly rose to her feet. Thankfully, Eevee had only dealt enough damage to end the fight and not much else, so she was able to hobble her way out of the ring.

But as she and Eevee were ready to take a seat, a staff member whispered something into Mongkut's ear. Thus he nodded and said, "It has come to my attention, folks, that it's a damn good thing this match was as exciting as it was, because it's officially the last one for the entire tournament."

Silence spread through the crowd until the man added, "As it so happens, three of our contestants could not make it as their flight was delayed for too long thus preventing them from making it on time. A couple more were training together for the event and took it so far on the last day that they wound up hospitalizing each other."

"Wow, that is ungodly stupid," Flareon uttered as Mongkut explained, "And unfortunately, the last contestant, Mareanie, got cold feet and decided to drop out."

No one could believe what they were hearing. Every one of them felt beyond disappointed until Mongkut added, "This can only mean one thing. Eevee is our champion and will represent Thailand in the Hero Olympics!"

After a few more seconds, the crowd shrugged and cheered for the brown fox as Mongkut pulled out a small gold trophy and approached her with it. He then handed it to her and said, "Congratulations on your victory. I'm sure you'll make it far, kid."

Eevee felt a little bad about this. After all, this hardly felt earned. But when she looked at Flareon and Cyndaquil, both of which nodded their heads in approval, she shrugged her shoulders and accepted the trophy. She then held it above her head and squealed, "LOOK OUT, WORLD! HERE I COME!" the cheers getting louder.

During this time on Hero Planet, specifically in a mansion that was fancier than the one he had been assigned, Metapod was preparing for the trip to Earth. After all, it would not be long until the opening ceremony was set to begin. But just as he was almost finished packing, he noticed Caterpie seated right in front of the TV watching Eevee accept her trophy.

"I could have earned a trophy just like that," Caterpie grumbled before Metapod chuckled and replied, "Don't worry, my boy. I got you covered," before walking toward a desk and pulling out a trophy with a small Caterpie statue on top, "The championship belt will make this rather obsolete, but-"

"No, Dad, I can't accept that!" the caterpillar retorted, "I didn't earn that trophy!" only for Metapod to sigh, "Look, son, you needn't waste your time on the scrubs. You're too good for that. You just need to save your strength for the real competition. I'll even bump you up to the finals if you'd-"

"Don't even think about that!" Caterpie retorted with a serious look in his eyes as Metapod let down a light tear and sniffed, "So proud of you!" the caterpillar thinking, 'It must feel so good earning your right to compete, Eevee. Even if I was just given one opponent to face, that would be fine.'

He remembered the day he came to Hero Planet. The first thing he did was discuss such an idea with his father.

"Look, just one match, that's all I'm asking," he pleaded, "Seriously, I've been training really hard for a moment like this and I wanna know if my hard work is worth it!"

"Nonsense, son," Metapod remarked, "It's in your blood. That's all you need to know."

"You can't even arrange a match with Charjabug?" the caterpillar remarked, "You offered to make him my personal trainer the day I left," as Metapod nodded and replied, "And you told me you didn't need him, and I still believe you."

Back in present time, the caterpillar sighed and got up before saying, "I'm gonna go pack my things now," as the chrysalis nodded and replied, "Yeah, you do that, son."

However, Caterpie did not enter his old room. Rather, he knocked on the door of another when a middle-aged mantis with long black hair named Mantarina answered and smiled, saying, "Oh, hello son. You excited for the big day?"

"Yeah, I sure am," the caterpillar replied as he sighed, "Look, you agree that I should at least earn the right to compete, right?"

The mantis took a deep breath and signalled her son to enter. He did so and sat on the bed next to her as she smiled and said, "Look, son, like your father, I do believe you have what it takes to at least make it past the first round, but not because it's in your blood. I've seen you training extra hard when he's not looking, and I can see the determination in your eyes. You don't need to prove yourself in a match here. You just need to make it far enough to show the world how much better you've become, you know, let it be a surprise."

The caterpillar nodded and asked, "By the way, I gotta ask, since you knew Grandma and Grandpa a lot, did they treat Dad the same way? I'm just wondering if maybe they're the reason he believes I don't have to work toward my goal."

"Actually, they had very little to do with it," Mantarina sighed, "The truth is, when your father was growing up, they would train him really hard to become a hero, and he was okay with that because he really wanted that. But unfortunately, after he became as good as he was and gained chairman status, he suddenly realized that he didn't have much of a social life because all he did was train. He never had fun. So I guess in a way, he figured that if he convinced you and himself that amazing power was in your blood, you wouldn't have to sacrifice a social life to become a hero."

Caterpie blinked and uttered, "He does realize it's possible to work out for an hour a day and still kick ass, right?" as Mantarina chuckled and replied, "It's funny. Your grandparents used to tell him that all the time and he'd never listen. Eventually, they just stopped trying and figured if he felt comfortable working himself that hard, they may as well let him. If only they'd tried just a little harder."

Caterpie nodded and smiled before replying, "Well, I may not have won a match to be accepted, but now I'm certain I can make it far. Thanks, Mom," the mantis beaming bright and giving him a hug. There was no doubt he would prove himself to the world.


	36. Chapter 36

Note: Probably pretty obvious, but yes, Scorchicken is Mega Blaziken.

While Eevee had lucked out and qualified for the Olympics after only one victory, the others had to put in the full effort to get the same results. But luckily, all of her friends had done an excellent job as after a couple of days, they had each made it to the finals.

Currently in Paris, Popplio was up against a white mouse shaped like a beach ball. He had yellow cheeks along with yellow and brown triangular markings all along his back and a tail shaped like a lightning bolt. His name was Togedemaru and he was a descendant of Pikachu, the world's first hero.

Popplio was currently in a ball-like state as he rolled toward the mouse, shouting, "CIRCUS BALL!" only for Togedemaru to do the same, his triangles sticking outward like spikes. Electricity surrounded his body as he exclaimed, "PORCUPINE ELECTROBALL!"

The crowd watched in amazement while a female announcer exclaimed, "And in a stunning turn of events, Monsieur Togedemaru has unleashed his own variation of the infamous Electroball, invented by Pikachu and passed down through the generations! This move has ended all of his matches so far, but will it end this one?"

Soon enough, both heroes collided, but ultimately, the electricity proved too much for Popplio as he broke form and flew backwards. And when he fell on his back with his head tilted sideways and his body twitching, the crowd could only assume he had been defeated. But since Togedemaru was the fan favourite due to his lineage, none of them had a problem with this.

But just as the announcer started the ten count, Popplio gritted his teeth and thought, 'Non! I have to make it with the others! Eevee's already advanced, and I will compete with her!"

As such, he used all his might to propel himself into the air, the crowd gasping. Even Togedemaru had no idea how to react and soon took the seal's tail to the face, flying back into the ropes.

But while he did so, a smirk formed on his face as he said, "Thanks for the assistance," surrounding his body with electricity against and launching himself off, shouting, "ZING ZAP!" turning around so his tail was aimed straight at Popplio.

However, he was more than ready for this, thus he leapt to the side at just the right moment. Togedemaru's eyes widened while he lost focus and fell on his back. This gave Popplio the advantage he needed as he pressed his tail up against the ropes and launched himself off of them, spreading out his flippers and spinning around while barking, "CIRCUS WINDMILL!"

The mouse got up just in time to received the strike to his cheek. Thus he careened over the ropes and out of the ring before his skull hit the wall below the bleachers.

His eyes swirled as the announcer started a twenty count. And once she reached that very number, she rang the bell and exclaimed, "And with that, Popplio has won the final match and will represent France in the Hero Olympics!" the crowd staring briefly.

However, it was not long until they all gave him a round of applause, one shouting, "Sacre bleu! He's actually better than Togedemaru!" another adding, "I can't wait to see how much tail he kicks in the Olympics!" the seal taking a deep breath and smiling. All that mattered to him was that he had qualified and thus he could compete alongside Eevee.

Meanwhile, in Vancouver, Lycanroc was up against a mongoose with brown fur covering most of him. He also had yellow fur along his front and forming a neat haircut atop his head. With razor sharp teeth, his name was Gumshoos.

The wolf sauntered toward him like a zombie and prepared to strike only for the mongoose to step to the side and hold his foot out. Thus she wound up tripping and falling flat on her chin, wincing from the pain as he mounted himself onto her back and stroked his chin with one hand. And with the other hand, he somehow managed to stretch the fingers to form what looked like the lens of a magnifying glass in front of his eye.

"Detective's Insight," he stated in a rather proper tone while the announcer, a man with a neat haircut, stated, "And Lycanroc is on her back while the brilliant Gumshoos examines her weak points."

The crowd watched with curiosity while a few goth teens in the crowd exclaimed, "Come on, Lycanroc! Shake him off!"

Unfortunately, Gumshoos had spread his legs in a way that prevented her from doing so as he said, "Fascinating. So despite being a rock type, you have a very low resistance to pain and you don't even have a lot of rocks on you. Simply incredible."

With that in mind, he nodded and added, "That means any spot is fair game," as he lifted up his right arm and exclaimed, "DAGGER CLAW!" sending his claws into her back.

Lycanroc howled in pain while the crowd was restless. Gumshoos prepared another strike and said, "I can literally keep this up all day and you won't be able to do a thing to stop me. Not bad for a normal type, eh?"

"Big deal," Lycanroc grumbled, "Eevee's a bigger credit to normal types than you'll ever be!" before swinging her arm around and striking him in the side. Thus the mongoose coughed up a bit of blood and uttered, "How did I not see that coming?"

He then stumbled off of her and struggled to stay up. Seeing how much trouble this was for him, Lycanroc took full advantage of this and leapt toward the ropes, planting her feet into them. She then launched herself off and held her arms up, her claws pointed forward while she spun like a drill, shouting, "WOLF BULLET!"

And sure enough, Gumshoos was unable to respond as his head opened up. Thus he fell on his back before the announcer started the ten count, the crowd cheering heavily. And after ten seconds, her victory was made official.

She then smiled and thought, 'I did it, guys. I can't wait to see you all again.'

In Barcelona, Chespin was currently taking in a beating from a cactus with ear-like extensions on the sides of her head. These parts had flowers growing on top. Her name was Maractus and she was currently pummelling the chipmunk with an onslaught of rapid jabs with her needle-like fingers.

"Let's see how you deal with this!" she exclaimed tauntingly as she shifted her arms to her sides and twirled, shouting, "CACTUS TWISTER!"

Chespin panicked when her ears tilted downward, striking him repeatedly in the face and causing him to spin backwards. He then gritted his teeth and growled, "No way am I letting you get the best of me! I've dealt with far worse than you over the past!"

With that in mind, he waited for the cactus to close in on him before extending his bristles and sending them forward. Thus her ears wound up hitting those instead as a mixture of blood and water dripped out, her assault coming to an end.

"You're not the only one with spikes," Chespin said with a smirk before he wrapped his arms around her and leapt high into the air. He then leaned backward and exclaimed, "SPIKE SUPLEX!" planting the back of her head into the canvas as she gasped in pain.

The crowd stared while the announcer started the ten count. And once she reached that number, she rang the bell and exclaimed, "And on that note, Senor Chespin has won the match and will represent Spain in the Hero Olympics!"

The crowd was ready to cheer him on as he lifted his arms in the air. However, he noticed looks of shock take over and uttered, "What are you-?"

However, he was cut off when he heard whimpering. And as he looked behind him, sure enough, Maractus had tears in her eyes while she sniffed, "How could you!?" slamming her fist repeatedly against the mat, "I was supposed to represent Spain! How dare you ruin that!?"

"Look, it's not like I broke any rules," Chespin uttered when suddenly, a can flew into the back of his head as he turned and snapped, "WHO DID THAT!?"

And sure enough, the crowd that was originally supportive of his victory now booed him as he spat, "YOU GUYS TOO!? COME ON! I WON FAIR AND SQUARE!" the announcer uttering, "And it would seem Maractus has won the crowd's sympathy with crocodile tears."

In Krabi, Umbreon was facing off against a metallic bird named Skarmory. She was currently doing a good job as she sent a palm punch into her chest while a dark aura surrounded her paw.

The bird ignored this and took to the sky, saying, "You think you're so tough, but you're nothing compared to me," before flying around Umbreon to confuse her. This seemed to work as after a while of trying to follow her movements, the fox held onto her forehead and groaned.

'Perfect,' Skarmory thought before soaring toward Umbreon with her wing out and shouting, "STEEL WING!"

But once she got close, Umbreon removed her hand and said, "Just kidding," with a stoic look on her face. She then leapt into the air as Skarmory missed, her eyes wide with shock while the fox wrapped her legs around her waist.

The crowd cheered wildly as she leaned forward and latched onto the bird's neck with her arms, a dark aura surrounding both of them. She then spun in a circle, the aura becoming a twister. Soon enough, Skarmory's face collided with the turnbuckle while Umbreon exclaimed, "DARK CYCLONE!"

That was more than enough to finish the job as she released her hold and allowed Skarmory to collapse. Thus the announcer nodded and rang the bell, exclaiming, "And with that, Umbreon has won and will represent Thailand in the Hero Olympics!" the crowd going wild.

Meanwhile, in London, Crabrawler was currently up against a pink long-nosed chimaera with purple seashells over her chest and a circular fin on her tail named Gorebyss. The crab was not doing nearly as well as Umbreon did as he attempted to strike her with palm punches. And yet for some reason, it felt awkward trying to use these, thus the chimaera easily dodged each one and took hold of his arms.

"Sorry to do this, but I need to win," she said with a wink, "I hope you understand, big boy."

Crabrawler blushed lightly as Jackalu watched this from the crowd with his jaw dropped, uttering, "You don't think-"

"No," Clawitzer sighed, "They just met. Remember how long I had to put up with you before I started to find you attractive?" the dog sighing, "Oh yeah. That's a good point."

Gorebyss flipped backward and put a light cut in Crabrawler's torso with her tail fin, shouting, "BEAUTIFUL BLADE!" And with him distracted, she wrapped her arms around his head and slammed his face into her shells, yelling, "SHIMMERING SHELLS!"

This caused the crab's face to bleed slightly when Clawitzer exclaimed, "Son, use one of my moves!" Jackalu blinking only for the shrimp to explain, "Well, yours seem to be wearing him down."

Crabrawler nodded with a more serious look and grunted, "You've been a great adversary, but this match is mine!" as Gorebyss laughed, "Oh my, your persistence is adorable!"

But just as she prepared another attack, the crab leapt toward her with his arm stretched out and exclaimed, "CRABHAMMER HANDLE!" ramming said part into her neck. This caused her to gasp and fall on her back, unable to move.

Soon enough, the announcer reached ten seconds and rang the bell, stating, "And after an intense match, Crabrawler will now represent England in the Hero Olympics," the crowd going wild as Gorebyss slowly rose to her feet, the crab gasping, "You're okay!"

"Yes," she replied with a sweet smile. However, that look became more psychotic when she growled in a much more sinister tone, "But mark my words! If I ever see you again, I'm using your head as a football!" Crabrawler trembling while she stepped gracefully off the stage.

'Geez, someone's got baggage,' he thought as he was then handed a small trophy, Jackalu clapping harder than the rest of the crowd and shouting, "WAY TO GO, LAD! YOU DO THE ADAIR FAMILY PROUD! BOO EVERYONE ELSE!" Naturally, Clawitzer face-palmed and shook her head.

Crabrawler was equally embarrassed, but smiled anyway and thought, 'You know what? It feels nice having all this support. Though why do I always feel like victory should not be this hard for me?'

Since Noivern and Litwick were not born and raised in Canada, they had returned to their home countries. Currently, the bat was facing off against a ghostly black rag doll with spikes on his head, a zipper attached to his yellow teeth and a brush-like tail named Banette. They were currently located in Bucharest as the doll unleashed a barrage of punches at Noivern.

"You may as well give up," he said with a big grin, "You may be bigger, but I'm better!"

"We'll see about that," Noivern remarked as he leapt backward and out of harm's way. However, Banette was prepared for this, thus he unzipped his mouth and exclaimed, "GHOSTLY BREATH!" letting loose a dark fog that formed into a hand and attempted to grab the bat.

Noivern was prepared as he exclaimed, "BOOMBURST!" sound waves flying out of his ears and blowing away the fog. And it only got worse for Banette when the waves stopped where he was and caused an explosion to form.

This proved too much as the doll was out cold, his eyes and mouth wide open while his arms and legs twitched. With that, the announcer rang the bell and stated, "And with that, Noivern has won and will represent Romania!" the crowd going wild as he rose a fist in the air with a humble grin.

Meanwhile, in Cairo, Litwick was up against an orange camel with two small volcanoes as humps named Camerupt. The candle stretched out toward him as he waited for her to get close. And once she was, he sent his hooves hard into her face and placed her onto his back, saying, "Nice try, but your flame is nothing compared to my power!"

With that, he unleashed a burst of fire from his back and exclaimed, "LAVA PLUME!" only for the candle to ignore the pain and wrap her arms all the way around him with a light smile on her face.

The camel's eyes widened as she said, "Unfortunately for you, fire is what allows me to use my power, and you just made it stronger." She then stretched her body upward thus pulling Camerupt up as well.

Once they were high enough, she leaned backward and exclaimed, "WAXY ARCH!" planting his head into the canvas and knocking him out cold.

And with that, the announcer reached the ten count and rang the bell, shouting, "Litwick is our winner and therefor she will represent Egypt in the Olympics!" the crowd going wild while the candle gave them all a curtsy and thought, 'And to think, if I hadn't come around, no one would cheer for me.'

All the while in Geysir, Wishiwashi, after having been released from prison, decided to try out as well. While Popplio had told him to find a new life, a part of him wanted to become a better fighter.

And after having made his way through the first couple of rounds, his confidence had grown considerably as he was currently up against a black sea cucumber with a short ovoid body. His mouth was shaped roughly like a star and he had pink spikes sticking up out of his back. His name was Pyukumuku, and despite his small size and lack of an extra body, he was surprisingly tough.

This was made possible by his ability to form organs from inside his mouth, and currently he had used them to construct a pair of large, beefy arms that he used to try and snatch the guppy. Wishiwashi looked frightened when he dodged one attempt and frowned, thinking, 'No, Popplio didn't give up when the odds were stacked against him. Nor will I!'

With that in mind, he waited for the arms to come at him again and latched onto them with his aquatic hands. He then used all his might to fling the sea cucumber into the air before leaping up to his level with his arm raised, shouting, "VOLLEYBALL SPIKE!"

The crowd cheered wildly as he sent Pyukumuku careening into the mat. Thus his eyes swirled while the announcer rang the bell and exclaimed, "And the match goes to Wishiwashi! Therefor he will represent Iceland in the Hero Olympics!"

The guppy's eyes sparkled as he thought, 'I can't believe it! I'm moving onto the Olympics!' a more nervous look forming before his mind added, 'I'm gonna get creamed.'

And of course, there were many other heroes who had made it as well. Though currently in Texas, a rather intense match was heating up while a chicken matched blows with a horse.

The chicken was a tall figure with long legs, the top halves covered in black feathers while the bottom halves had yellow ones. She had white hair-like feathers that made a star shape around her head and orange ones that resembled long strands of fire around her grey wrists. Her torso was mostly red save for the top, which was black. With a flat horn on her forehead, this was Torchic's daughter, Scorchicken.

The horse was brown and had a black mane with curly dreadlocks down the sides. The ends of his dreadlocks and tail were red and shaped like hooves. His actual hooves, meanwhile, had a coating of red mud around them that made them look more like stockings and long gloves with bulgy sides. His name was Mudsdale.

Scorchicken sent an onslaught of punches forward with her fists on fire while Mudsdale used his hooves to block the incoming blows, grunting, "You may as well give up! Not only am I stronger than you, but thanks to the mud surrounding my hands, you can't hurt me!"

Scorchicken growled and thought, 'No, I'm going to be the first member of the Torch family to win the Olympics, and if that means defeating you, then so be it!'

With that in mind, she saw an opening and sent a hard punch into Mudsdale's face. With that, he backed up and rubbed that very spot as he narrowed his eyes and grunted, "I can see I'll need to rely on more drastic measures."

As such, he went down on all fours and charged at Scorchicken with a brown aura surrounding his body as he exclaimed, "HIGH HORSEPOWER!"

But when he was about to strike, the chicken leapt up into the air and lit her feet on fire. She then turned herself around and took hold of the spellbound horse's dreadlocks before shouting, "BLAZE KICK!" sending her feet into the back of his neck.

Mudsdale coughed up blood and fell flat on his chin before the announcer started the ten count. Once he reached that exact number, he rang the bell and exclaimed, "And on that note, Scorchicken wins the match and moves on to represent America in the Hero Olympics!"

The crowd went wild as the chicken smirked and folded her arms, thinking, 'I hope you're watching, Ma. I'll do you proud.'

Soon enough, every tournament had come to a close and thus every representative had been chosen. Needless to say, every one of them was more than excited for the Olympics. But who would come out on top? Only time would tell.


	37. Chapter 37

This was it. After all the waiting, the anticipation, it was time for the opening ceremony for the Hero Olympics to begin. Everyone had waited two weeks for the preliminaries to start, two more days for them to end and one last week for this particular event. And of course, many were gathered around to watch this, though the vast majority of the crowd was disappointed to hear that Mapin would not be among the Japanese representatives.

Eevee was beyond excited while she waited in the lobby. However, she was also looking around for a certain group when she noticed all of her friends, her eyes sparkling as she ran over to them.

Popplio's eyes widened when the fox pinned him to the ground, squealing, "POPPLIO! IT'S SO GOOD TO SEE YOU!" before looking up at the others and adding, "And hello to you guys as well. You're all looking good."

Chespin laughed nervously and replied, "Thanks for not tackling all of us," Lycanroc grinning and saying, "I heard you were the first hero in the world to be accepted. Not gonna lie, I'm a little jealous."

Eevee got up and sported a more embarrassed look as Popplio rose up and smirked, saying, "Oui. I'm very proud of you," before noticing the look on her face and asking, "So why don't you look happy?"

"I dunno," the fox groaned, "I feel like I didn't really earn it, you know? I kinda wanted to blast my way through three opponents. This just feels dishonest and unfair to other contestants."

"Hey, it's not your fault the others couldn't make it," Chespin replied with a shrug as Popplio nodded and rested his flippers on Eevee's shoulders. He then looked seriously into her eyes and stated, "You should be proud of yourself, mon ami. You and all of us actually made it to the opening ceremony. Now, when they call up your country, you will walk down the runway with pride."

Eevee smiled lightly as Lycanroc looked around and asked, "Come to think of it, where's-?" before noticing Caterpie walking down the halls with his servants following him. He had a nice suit on but did not look happy in the slightest, especially since most of the other heroes gave him cold looks.

The one giving him the worst one, though, was a dragon dressed head to toe in Aztec jewelry named Kommo-o. Though why she seemed to hate him more than any of the others was anyone's guess.

The caterpillar tried to look more positive until he noticed the others. Now he was finally able to ignore all of the dirty looks as he was ready to race over. However, one of his servants shook her head, thus he sighed and marched over in a more proper fashion.

"Hey guys," Caterpie sighed before Chespin groaned, "Don't tell me, your dad didn't listen to anything you said, did he?"

Caterpie nodded and replied, "Mom says I should just suck it up until my first match," as Popplio nodded and said, "That's the spirit. Even though you still haven't had a chance to prove yourself, you're a hundred percent certain you'll make it past the sporting events."

"Oh no, I already know I'm gonna make it past those," Caterpie sighed, "Dad says I don't actually need to compete, so I'm already a shoe-in for the fighting tournament. It's like he wants the entire world to hate me or something."

Lycanroc bit her lower lip before smiling and saying, "Hey, look on the bright side. At least this way, no one will know how awesome you've become, so when you start kicking major ass in the tournament, the whole world will be surprised."

The caterpillar nodded and replied, "You know, my mom told me the same thing. I wanna believe that, truly, but I don't know. How do I know if I'm good enough if I haven't fought anyone since I started training?"

The wolf knelt down and gave him a hug, saying, "Just believe you can do it and I'm sure you can. Don't let a bunch of hate comments online get the better of you, okay?"

"Well, if you say so," Caterpie sighed as Chespin beamed and stated, "Come on, buck up. This is a big day. When you go out there and grace all of Tokyo with your presence, you hold you head high and pretend that embarrassing match with Ribombee never happened!"

The others stared awkwardly at him until the caterpillar groaned, "Great, now all I can think about is that rap remix someone made of my entrance song," everyone laughing nervously.

Suddenly, it seemed there was even more tension now when Umbreon passed right by the group. She then gave Eevee a serious look as if to imply that she had no right to be here. The brown fox simply frowned in response, pulled down her eyelid and stuck out her tongue.

"I thought you said you were over that," Popplio uttered as Eevee sighed, "No, I said I no longer care about upstaging her. At this point, I just want her to recognize me as a good fighter."

"Hey, if she hasn't heard about your triumphs, that's her problem," the seal remarked, "And besides, you have the perfect chance to prove her wrong about you. All you gotta do is make it through all three sporting events and then win at least one match in the fighting tournament. She'll wish she never looked down on you, I know it."

The others nodded while Umbreon made her way over to Crabrawler. The crab looked even more nervous than usual as the black fox blinked and asked, "You're not getting cold feet, are you?"

"Not really," Crabrawler replied, his trembling knees saying otherwise as Umbreon sighed, "Look, Crabrawler, every single opponent here is a fellow hero. Even if you lose, at least there are no lives at stake. Besides, I believe in you. You do seem to struggle a lot in battle, but on the other hand, you haven't lost a match yet."

The crab blinked and nodded, a more confident look forming. Umbreon gave him a smile, a look she rarely ever had, and patted him on the shoulder.

There were only five minutes left until everyone was to enter when suddenly, Lycanroc found herself blinded by a pair of black hands with red claws. He then blinked and asked, "Is that you, Noivern?" the bat sighing, "I was actually hoping that would fool you."

The others smiled when they noticed he and Litwick were both there the wolf saying, "Well, I don't know many others with their hands attached to their wings," Noivern nodding and sighing, "Of course."

"It's really nice to see you," Litwick said with a light smile as Chespin blinked and uttered, "So it's true. Your wick did grow back. Sorry for, you know, cutting it off."

"Oh, don't apologize," the candle replied, "I should thank you for stopping me before I did even more bad things."

The chipmunk nodded when suddenly, a much more timid voice entered the area, saying, "Oh, hey, there you guys are. I've been looking all over."

The group gasped when they saw Wishiwashi standing there with his water body, Popplio saying, "I wasn't expecting to see you here."

"Yeah, I know," the guppy replied with a light chuckle, "It's just, you know, I figured after being released, I'd take a stab at this hero thing. And, well, I've already won three matches without the need for my school form, so who knows?"

Needless to say, Eevee and the others were happy to see that most of their hero friends had made it. Though they also knew there was a chance they may have to fight at some point, but they were all prepared for that, especially Eevee. After her fight with Cyndaquil, she no longer had a problem with facing off against her friends.

After a little more talking, it was finally time as Metapod took a seat next to Yukiko and said, "Welcome, one and all, to the opening ceremony of the Hero Olympics! You've all been very patient, but now it's finally time for our contestants to come out! One-by-one, various different countries will emerge from the entrance as we see the three heroes representing each."

"That's right," Yukiko replied, "But one particular nation will only have one very special representative, who we have decided to save for last."

The audience already knew she was referring to Caterpie and were unsure how to react. At best, many audience members had their phones out to record whatever entrance he had planned. After all, it had been quite some time.

"Without further ado, let the ceremony begin!" Metapod exclaimed, the crowd going wild as the first country to emerge was France. A young woman led the group while carrying the French flag, and behind her was Popplio along with a blue frog with a swirl on his chest and a big pink squirrel with a long tongue.

The crowd cheered wildly, especially the French fans who had come all the way there to see them. Of course, most of the cheers were for Popplio as he was the one Tokyo's citizens wanted to see. However, the seal was shocked when he looked at the crowd and saw Primarina there.

She tossed confetti into the air and shouted, "BONJOUR, SON! I'M HERE TO SEE YOU PERFORM MORE MIRACLES!" Popplio's cheeks light pink as he thought, 'She actually came to see moi fight? I didn't think she'd be interested.'

A few more countries came up until it was time for the Canadian heroes to head down the runway. Of course, Lycanroc got many cheers, but she was not alone as joining her was a blue golem and the woodpecker, Trumbeak.

The wolf had a big smile on her face as she waved to the crowd and thought, 'I hope you're watching this somewhere, Lugarugan. If I'd chosen to follow you, I wouldn't be here right now.'

A few more countries passed by and soon it was time for the American representatives to step up. Along with Scorchicken were a brown meteor with white arms and legs that she could extend at will and a black rat with a moustache and buck teeth.

Following close behind were the Spanish heroes with Chespin waving at the crowd and blowing kisses. There was also a stag beetle with long white pincers atop his head and a blue kappa with a lily pad atop his head.

England was up soon enough with Crabrawler waving to the crowd. However, his nervousness from earlier returned when he heard Jackalu exclaim, "LOOKING GOOD, SON!" the crab's eyes widening as he thought, 'I forgot they were gonna be here.'

Clawitzer simply gave him a wave and called out, "Do your best out there!" Crabrawler nodding while following close behind him were a beetle clad in armour that resembled a snail shell and Axew.

Romania was up soon and Noivern was joined by a purple ghost with big hands but no arms and a black rottweiler with bones along his body and long horns atop his head. And after that was Egypt with Litwick walking down the runway along with a short brown rabbit and a sword with a ghostly blue hand attached to her handle.

Iceland was up soon enough as Wishiwashi was joined by a living iceberg that looked more like a tortoise and a small blue bear with frozen water hanging from his nose. The guppy looked beyond nervous while he thought, 'Wow, that's a lot of people. Imagine screwing up in front of all of them.'

After many more countries, it was finally time for Thailand. Eevee marched with pride, though it was hard keeping a straight face when Umbreon was marching right next to her. Both gave one-another a cold look as a blue boy with an onion-shaped head thought, 'This should be easy. These two don't look focused in the slightest. I'll represent Thailand soon enough.'

Unfortunately, unlike Primarina and Jackalu, Flareon could not be there to see her daughters. But even so, both knew she would likely see them compete on TV as they fully intended on doing their best, Eevee thinking, 'Just you wait, Umbreon. You'll see how much better I've gotten over time.'

After the Japanese heroes went up, it was finally time for the last competitor, Metapod exclaiming, "Alright, folks, up next is the special competitor we promised you! Presenting the one representing Hero Planet, my son, Caterpie!"

And sure enough, the caterpillar came out in the same fancy suit from earlier, and yet the chrysalis was shocked to see him simply walking down the aisle with a flag girl walking in front of him like all the others. He blinked and whispered, "Yukiko, you made sure he had a float to ride in on, right?"

The woman nodded and replied, "Yeah. I'm not sure where it went," when suddenly, a butterfly in a butler outfit flew next to her and whispered something into her ear.

The woman nodded before turning to Metapod and whispering, "Turns out he refused the float. He said he didn't wanna upstage the others too much," the chrysalis letting down a light tear and sniffing, "Oh, he makes me more and more proud all the time. That's my boy."

Those with their phones at the ready were a touch disappointed. While the suit was a bit showy, Caterpie's entrance was a lot more humble than they had expected. As such, they all shrugged their shoulders and gave him a round of applause.

Caterpie took a deep breath and thought, 'Good. The last thing I want is another embarrassing video,' only for Metapod to explain, "Oh, and since Caterpie is our special representative, he is the only one here who will not have to compete in any of the events leading up to the fighting tournament. In other words, he has already taken up the first slot."

Now the caterpillar had all the cold looks from the other heroes he had expected. And he could not blame them for a second. After all, they had to put in the effort to even have a chance at such an honour while he already got it due to his heritage.

"Look at him," whispered one hero, "He thinks he's so amazing just because he's the chairman's son," another adding, "I bet he feels so special right now."

Kommo-o folded her arms and sighed, "Why do you all act so surprised? This was completely expected of a fraud like him," as the others turned to her, Lycanroc clenching her paws into fists and growling, "You take that back."

"Yeah!" Eevee squeaked, "It's not his fault! He begged and pleaded his dad not to give him such a privilege!" only for another contestant to retort, "You only say that because you're his allies! He probably paid you to stick up for him, didn't he!?"

"Say that to my face!" the fox retorted as Umbreon sighed, "You're letting your temper get the better of you as always," while the others stared at her.

The black fox folded her arms and grunted, "We should save our rage and frustration for the battlefield! Do you want to look like a bunch of immature children in front of all of these people?" the competitors all looking around at the audience. They had to admit that she had a point and thus they calmed down as Eevee folded her arms.

With all said and done, Caterpie was escorted out of the area as he let down a light tear and thought, 'Thanks for sticking up for me, guys. But it's okay. Once they see how much better I've become, that won't be necessary.'

Once he was led to a seat next to Metapod, the chrysalis smiled at him before stating, "With the opening ceremony out of the way, it's time for the first event!" everyone gasping. Even Umbreon had not been prepared for this.

Yukiko nodded and explained, "See, we like to get the events out of the way as soon as possible, so once the ceremony ends, we begin the first round, in which only half of you will advance while the other half is eliminated."

Metapod nodded and stated, "Normally, we would start with the time-honoured Rock, Paper, Scissors, but however, I've never found that event to be particularly heroic myself. As such, I have something else entirely."

With that, a sign appeared on a big screen with the words 'Tower Collapse' on it. And soon enough, various segments of the ground opened up and fairly big towers with a round shape emerged. All of them had various bricks that looked like they could be removed with ease.

"This will not only be a test of strength but also a bit of luck," Metapod explained, "One by one, you and an opponent of your choice will use all your might to knock bricks out of the towers. Whoever causes the tower to collapse will be the winner. Oh, and in case any of you are wondering, these towers have been designed specifically to only fall downward into piles, so you don't have to worry about one tilting sideways and crushing other heroes or even knocking the other towers over."

While none of the audience members nor the heroes could understand the logic behind that, they refused to question it. After all, this was good news to them.

Eevee, however, stared silently at the tower in front of her and thought, 'I was not expecting that,' as she noticed a brown T-Rex smirk at her and say, "Hey, name's Tyrunt. Figured you may as well know the name of the one who's gonna take you down."

"Just try it," the fox retorted with her eyes narrowed as everyone else soon had an opponent. And thus she ended up going first. She leapt at one brick and kicked it out with both of her feet.

She stared with concern as the tower did not vibrate one bit. As such, Tyrunt smirked and said, "That's nothing! Check this out!" before sending a rolling sobat into another brick.

He seemed to get better results as this caused the tower to vibrate slowly. Now Eevee could not help but wonder if she could win this. However, that thought left her when she saw Umbreon cause her respective tower to collapse, the black fox being the first to move onto the second event as she cast the brown fox a glance.

Eevee gritted her teeth and growled, "Try this on for size!" as she rammed her skull into a brick and knocked it out, causing a slight reaction. But unfortunately, this was not quite as impressive as what Tyrunt had done earlier.

The dinosaur grinned wickedly and charged at the tower, performing the same move. Unfortunately for Eevee, he got much more of a reaction as the structure vibrated even more. The fox trembled when it looked like the tower would collapse for sure, but after a few seconds, it stopped and thus she breathed a sigh of relief.

"Don't look so relaxed," Tyrunt scoffed with his arms folded, "My next hit will knock this tower over for good! I've heard about your reputation, and quite frankly, it disgusts me that someone like you has such a good track record! I'm gonna make sure you meet the fate you deserve!"

Upon hearing that, Eevee gritted her teeth as she then noticed a few other heroes using their signature moves to knock over towers. As such, she frowned and said nothing before going down on all fours and backing up slightly.

"You think a running start is gonna help?" Tyrunt asked with a shrug as Eevee raced toward the tower and leapt toward the middle of it with her paws out. She then spun sideways while a twister surrounded her and squealed, "SPINNING FOX TACKLE!" ramming into the brick and knocked it clean out of its spot. She also managed to blast straight through the tower as she landed on her feet.

The wind emanating from her caused every brick in the tower to vibrate as Tyrunt's jaw dropped. And soon enough, the entire structure collapsed in a heap, Eevee smirking and saying, "Looks like I won."

And sure enough, all of her friends won as well as the dinosaur growled, "Whatever! This is stupid, anyway!" before storming out of the area.

Wishiwashi stared at the tower he had knocked down and uttered, "I can't believe I pulled that off," as his opponent, a purple humanoid mushroom, bowed her head and said, "Good job. I hope you make it far," before shaking his watery hand. The guppy's eyes widened as he could not believe how good of a sport she was, especially compared to a lot of the others.

Popplio and Eevee ran over to one-another and shared a high five before the seal said, "Tres bien as always," the fox replying, "Right back at you, buddy."

Caterpie, meanwhile, narrowed his eyelids and muttered, "That must have felt satisfying," as Metapod shrugged and replied, "Trust me, son, it's nothing compared to winning a match."

Crabrawler took a deep breath after advancing and turned to Umbreon, saying, "You know, that move your sis used was pretty amazing," as the black fox folded her arms and said nothing.

The crab blinked and shrugged his shoulders, just glad she did not give him a cold look for bringing up this subject again. Either way, with Eevee and her friends moving forward, one could only guess how things would go from here.


	38. Chapter 38

With the first event out of the way, the crowd was more than excited for more. And of course, Eevee could not have been more thrilled to have advanced along with her friends. It did bother her a little bit that Umbreon did not acknowledge what she had just pulled off, but as long as she kept this up, she just knew she would get the recognition she deserved at some point.

Chespin took a deep breath and said, "That was easy. Bring on the next challenge!" Lycanroc nodding with a light chuckle. She then smiled up at Caterpie and gave him a wave as he returned the gesture.

Metapod's eyes widened as he asked, "Oh, got yourself a little girlfriend?" as Caterpie's face became so red, one could easily mistake it for a tomato.

The chrysalis nudged his son playfully while Yukiko stated, "Well, ladies and gentlemen, that clears up the first event. The half of the heroes who lost are now free to do whatever they please, but those who won will move onto the second round. Now, let's see what our next event is, shall we?"

With that, the sign on the screen rotated vertically like a slot in a machine. And soon enough, a new one took its place. This one said 'Save the Damsel in Distress' and had an image of Machoke holding a deformed a man in his arms with an uncomfortable look on his face. While this image did confuse the audience, they were more interested in the title of the event.

"If there's one old event I have no problem bringing back, it's this one," Metapod explained, "It's been known to generate lots of excitement, though I've decided to make a few modifications to it."

At that moment, a large demon statue rose up from under the ground with a young man looking down from inside of its mouth. He could not help but tremble as the audience gasped, the chrysalis explaining, "This isn't the modification, by the way. This is how Grandpa went about it back then."

"Wait, isn't that a little dangerous?" Wishiwashi uttered as Eevee remarked, "Understatement of the year. Does he realize how unsafe that is!?"

Caterpie seemed to think the same thing until Metapod continued, "Much like how Grandpa Weedle went about this, the idea is that the damsel will be dropped from that statue while the heroes competing race toward the goal line. Whoever makes it first and saves the civilian wins. But in case any of you are concerned about the off chance none of the heroes make it, do not worry as far below the statue is a safety mat."

The crowd looked down to see a rather big and comfy-looking mat. Thus they nodded their heads as they could not have felt more relieved. After all, the last thing they wanted was for any innocent human's life to be at stake.

Chespin folded his arms and sighed, "Thank god. I thought he really was crazy enough to endanger these people," as Lycanroc nodded in agreement, still looking rather terrified of the very concept of an unsuspecting person being dropped from such a height.

"Now, some of you are probably wondering why our first damsel is a middle-aged man," Metapod said before many of the heroes blinked, a few of them talking amongst themselves as one uttered, "Now that he mentions it-"

The chrysalis nodded and explained, "While it's true young attractive women used to be the prime suspects for movie and TV villains, let's face it. Reality is not so simple. Real villains go after anyone, including children, men and even deformed people. For example, that image you see in the banner up there, that's a photo of when the legendary Machoke won this event when it was first introduced."

The crowd gasped as most of them had not been alive when that happened and the majority of those who grew up in that era remembered the old hero's match with Lucario much more. Even Caterpie was shocked to hear this.

"So what are the modifications?" Umbreon asked as many turned to her, "I've seen the footage of this moment, and so far, the setup is exactly the same as when Weedle invented it. The only time it was actually different was when Beedrill chose to use a different statue that didn't drop the victim from a dangerous height."

Everyone in the area stared at her until Popplio said, "I didn't know your soeur was so knowledgeable," Eevee uttering, "Me neither."

"An excellent point," Metapod replied, "Well, in actuality, there's only one change I've made, and it's the number of heroes competing at once. Rather than two competing at a time, we will have three."

This did not seem to matter too much to the crowd until Yukiko added, "And as is also a time-honoured tradition with this particular event, heroes are allowed to use any means necessary to make it to the goal first, including bringing harm to their opponents."

Now the crowd was more intrigued as Noivern folded his arms and said, "Interesting," Litwick not completely sure how to feel about that.

Wishiwashi tensed up as well as he uttered, "So they can gang up on me when I least suspect it," Crabrawler nodding and stating, "I see. That way, the number of heroes partaking in the final event will be lower than usual."

"True, but it also increases our odds of losing a spot in the tournament," Umbreon remarked, "Best of luck out there," the crab nodding and replying, "You too," as they pounded their fists together.

Metapod started up a machine that would pick contestants at random. After a few seconds, it chose Noivern, the brown rabbit, Bunneary and an oval-shaped brown mole named Diglett. Due to a rule with his family, he could not reveal his lower body and thus only his head stuck up out of the ground.

Noivern looked at the two and thought, 'This'll be easy,' as Yukiko smiled and said, "Well, folks, looks like the racers are ready. Let's begin."

With that, Metapod pressed a button to make the statue vibrate, dropping the man out as he cried out in terror. And sure enough, Noivern got an early lead when he took to the sky and soared toward the finish line. However, it seemed as if Bunneary could not be taken lightly as she used all her might to leap forward. Soon enough, she gained enough momentum to pass him while Diglett also seemed to be a really fast digger, ploughing his way through the dirt.

Seeing this, the bat narrowed his eyelids and thought, 'Don't think for a minute that'll help you,' before spreading out his wings and increasing his speed.

The crowd cheered for him when he wound up hooking the back of Bunneary's neck and shouted, "BAT WING SICKLE!" The rabbit coughed up blood and fell sideways into Diglett's head, both heroes now out cold while Noivern caught the middle-aged man and asked, "You okay, sir?"

The man nodded and replied, "Yeah. I've always been afraid of bats, but you're pretty cool," Noivern giving him a friendly smile and setting him down.

"And with that, Noivern moves onto the third event while Bunneary and Diglett are out!" Yukiko stated as Litwick gave the bat a light smile, forming a big hand with her wax so she could hold a thumb up.

Noivern grinned before returning to the others, Eevee saying, "Good job, man. Maybe we'll get a rematch later."

"I'll be sure to beat you when that happens," the bat remarked as a few more contestants were chosen.

After roughly ten races, Wishiwashi was up, though he was nowhere near as confident as Noivern had been. One of his opponents was a round whale named Wailmer and the other was a pelican named Pelipper. This was just what the guppy needed, two fish-eaters.

The pelican smiled at him and said, "No hard feelings when I win, eh?" only for the whale to retort, "Who's gonna win!? I'll wipe the floor with both of you!"

Thus the race began as Wishiwashi raced forward. However, he soon realized just how tough these two would be when Wailmer started rolling along the ground and shouting, "ROLLING CURRENT!" Pelipper flying really fast and catching up with him pretty easily.

Seeing this, the guppy frowned and thought, 'No! I became a hero so I could face my biggest fears, and now it's time to prove that fish can defeat whales and pelicans!'

With that in mind, his eyes glowed as he managed to expand the size of his water, everyone staring in shock while it transformed into a wave. He then proceeded to move forward at an insane speed, shouting, "TIDAL WAVE SURF!"

Soon enough, both adversaries were caught in his gelatinous water. And once Wishiwashi was close enough to the safety mat, he came to a halt as the others flew out of the wave and into the wall. Thus Wishiwashi formed a big pair of hands and caught a teenaged girl, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Thank you so much," the girl said before leaning over and kissing Wishiwashi's cheek. Thus the guppy's face turned red as he uttered, "Holy mackerel," hearts floating around his head.

More and more heroes went up until it was Umbreon's turn. She was up against the blue boy she had walked down the runway with, namely Meditite. The other opponent was the blue kappa, Lotad, but right now, Meditite seemed to be the bigger threat as he smirked at the black fox.

'She may have made it past the last event, but there's no way she'll get past me,' he thought, 'Just you wait. I'll be the one representing Thailand in the tournament while you return home in shame.'

He then turned toward Lotad as his mind added, 'But I'll have to make sure he doesn't interfere first,' and thus the race began when a middle-aged woman was dropped from the demon statue's mouth.

Before Lotad could even begin, Meditite jabbed his finger into his side and shouted, "ACCUPRESSURE!" the kappa gasping and falling on his side while Yukiko stated, "And before he could even start, Lotad is out of the race."

No one could believed their eyes as Umbreon frowned and did her best to stay as far ahead of Meditite as possible. Unfortunately for her, the blue boy would not let her off so easily while he leapt toward her with his fingers at the ready, fully intent on jabbing them into the back of her neck.

'Grandma was unable to keep opponents down for long with this, but it's more than enough to net me a win,' he thought only for Umbreon to leap up into the air and send a roundhouse into his side. Thus he was sent flying out of bounds before she caught her damsel.

Eevee blinked and thought, 'Good. I'd have been disappointed if she lost as easily as Lotad,' the kappa suddenly springing back to his feet and barking, "I'M OKAY!"

He then noticed he had already lost and sighed before hanging his head and sulking away from the area. And while Umbreon did not show it, she felt a touch sorry for him if only because he did not stand a chance like Meditite had.

Many more rounds went by as Crabrawler was soon up against a dragonfly named Vibrava and a flower-like dinosaur named Cradily. He ultimately wound up beating both of them when he sent flying clotheslines into the backs of their necks, shouting, "CRABHAMMER HANDLE!"

Both were unable to recover in time to prevent him from catching a small child, a smile on his face as he stated, "Glad to see you safe and sound, lad."

However, the kid looked less spooked by what had happened and more thrilled while he squealed, "I've been saved by a hero!" giving the crab a hug. Thus he blushed lightly as Umbreon resisted the urge to laugh, Eevee giving her an odd glance. After all, such a look was rare for the black fox.

Jackalu, meanwhile, exclaimed, "Way to go, son!" as even Clawitzer could not help but cheer lightly, shouting, "See!? My moves work better!"

Crabrawler was starting to get used to it when suddenly, Jackalu made it more embarrassing by pulling out two dog biscuits and twirling them around, exclaiming, "This calls for a victory song!"

Everyone stared blankly at him while he danced and sang, "When you're feeling down and need to lose that frown, try a Biscrok, it's biscuit-licious!" Clawitzer raising her big claw and sending it into the back of his head.

Even Yukiko had no idea how to react until Metapod folded his arms and said, "Jackalu's old victory dance. Haven't seen that in years," Caterpie retorting, "You mean to tell me that's normal for him?"

When Crabrawler returned to Umbreon's side, she patted him on the shoulder and said, "Good job," the crab nodding and choosing not to let his father's weirdness get to him.

Suddenly, Chespin was called up as he beamed and squealed, "Sweet! Wish me luck, guys! Not that I'll need it!"

Lycanroc nodded and replied, "You go out there and kick ass!" as his opponents were revealed to be Scorchicken and a purple reptilian creature named Exploud.

"There's no doubt Scorchicken's fired up for this," Yukiko stated while the chicken stood on the right side of the track, "After all, every member of the Torch Family has tried to keep up with the Machs, but so far, Combusken was the only one who came close when she managed to make it to the semi-finals of the twentieth Hero Olympics."

Scorchicken narrowed her eyelids and thought, 'That's right. Mom lost the first round and grandma didn't even make it past this particular event. I'm gonna be the first member of the Torch family to become champion, I just know it.'

Chespin felt her spirit and tensed up, thinking, 'I really hope I can do this now,' before looking at Exploud standing right between the two of them while his mind added, 'And who knows what this guy's capable of?'

Even so, he shook his head when he realized he would need to remain focused. After all, it was not like him to fear an opponent.

With that, the demon statue vibrated as an elderly man fell toward the mat. Thus Scorchicken and Chespin took off only for Exploud to release sound waves from his enormous mouth and big tubes that surrounded his head, shouting, "ECHOED VOICE!"

This managed to deal extreme pain to each one's eardrums as they clutched onto the sides of their heads. Thus Exploud ran past them with a big grin. Though there was no way the chicken and chipmunk would allow him to win with such a tactic.

With that in mind, the two nodded at one-another before racing toward Exploud, the ringing in their ears starting to fade. And once they were close enough, they leapt up and swung their legs toward the sides of the reptilian creature's head, Scorchicken's foot lighting on fire. Soon, both of their feet made contact with Exploud's head as they exclaimed, "BLAZE TORNADO KICK!"

With that, the creature fell to his knees before the rest of his body collapsed. As such, he was out cold while Chespin and Scorchicken gave one-another a look of respect. But even so, neither wished to submit to the other, thus they sprinted with all their might.

In the end, Scorchicken managed to outrun Chespin as she leapt forward and caught the elderly man. His heart raced a mile a minute while he breathed heavily and wheezed, "Wow! What a rush!"

Chespin took many deep breaths and looked down. However, he perked up when Scorchicken smiled and held her arm out, saying, "Here's to a good match. You were a great opponent."

The chipmunk blinked and nodded before shaking her hand, a light smile on his face. Normally, he would not have been so accepting of a loss, and yet a part of him felt good losing to Scorchicken, despite her being a total stranger to him. He had no idea what it was, but it allowed him to accept his loss with grace and dignity, which was more than could be said for the majority of contestants.

Eevee's jaw dropped and as she groaned, "Aw man! He was so close!" Popplio folding his flippers and saying, "Well, he tried his best. Honestly, he's taking this a lot better than I thought he would."

"I know," Lycanroc groaned, "Remember how long it took for him to get over his loss to me?" the others nodding in response.

The chipmunk soon walked over to the group and said, "Well, guess I'll be watching from the bleachers. I'm sure you'll all do an amazing job," as Eevee nodded and patted him on the shoulder, saying, "You were awesome back there."

Litwick was soon up against the living iceberg, Avalugg, while he slid along the ground with his arms and legs tucked in. But just as she was ready to transform into her candelabra form, her other opponent, a hybrid of a panda and a raccoon named Bewear lashed a set of claws from his paws. He then raced right past her and slashed her side, making her just weak enough to kneel down.

After that, he leapt toward Avalugg with his legs up and planted them both into his back. This caused him to wobble slightly until his side hit the ground thus causing him to skid to a halt. And with that, Bewear easily made it to the mat just in time to save a falling girl.

The crowd applauded him as Litwick sighed and got up, making her way back to the others. Noivern simply folded his wings and smiled at her, nodding his head to let her know that he felt she had done her best. Thus she perked up a bit and stretched out her arms, giving him a light hug.

After a few more races, it was Lycanroc's turn. Her opponents were a squid named Malamar and the icy bear, Cubchoo. While Malamar folded her arms with an intimidating look, Cubchoo looked up at Lycanroc with the sweetest look in his eyes and asked in a voice that made him sound younger than he was, "Will you attack me in order to win?"

Lycanroc blinked and shook her head before saying, "No. I promise that if I win, it will be fair and square, okay?" as Malamar smirked and thought, 'This will be easy.'

With that, the demon statue vibrated and a girl fell toward the mat, all of the racers taking off. Cubchoo smirked while the ice hanging from his nose melted and covered the entire runway, the bear squealing, "ICE RINK OF HORRORS!"

As if the icy runway was not bad enough, walls were set up in front of Malamar and Lycanroc as the wolf lost her balance and slid face-first into one. Malamar, on the other hand, was much more prepared, thus she slashed it open with her bladed hands and grunted, "I had a feeling you'd try something like this! Unfortunately for you, I'm not as easy to trick!"

However, Cubchoo was more than prepared as he once again turned his ice into water, blowing a big bubble on the end. He then changed it back to ice and swung it into the squid's side, sending her out of bounds and shouting, "ICE WRECKLING BALL!"

Caterpie stared in shock and thought, 'Come on, Lycanroc! You can do it!' the wolf using the claws on her feet to latch onto the wall she had run into. She then leaned back before propelling herself forward, shouting, "WOLF BULLET!" spinning like a drill while leaving a dark wind behind her. This increased her speed just enough for her to pass by Cubchoo and catch the falling girl.

The bear's jaw dropped as Eevee, Popplio and Chespin gave Lycanroc a round of applause. But of course, the one cheering the loudest was Caterpie while he exclaimed, "Way to go, Lycanroc! That'll teach him to screw with your emotions!"

Lycanroc set the human girl down as she bowed her head in respect and ran back to the bleachers. The wolf then turned to Cubchoo, flipped her hair to the side and said, "I told you I wouldn't attack you, I didn't, and I still won."

Cubchoo gritted his teeth before turning around to storm out of the area. However, he forgot that he had turned the ground into ice, thus he slipped and fell on his back. As a result, his ice hung down and went into his mouth as his eyes widened.

Lycanroc then returned to the others as Eevee smiled and said, "Good job," before turning to Popplio and adding, "Guess that leaves the two of us. I hope we don't end up facing each other. I want you to make it to the tournament."

Popplio nodded and replied, "Oui, same here, mon ami," as he was then called up. Luckily, Eevee was not among his opponents, and thus the two sighed with relief.

As the seal went up, he noticed his opponents were the beetle with the armour like a snail shell named Escavalier and a zebra named Zebstrika. The beetle bowed his head to his adversaries and said, "Here's to a good race, my fellow heroes."

Zebstrika nodded and replied, "Yeah, may the best hero win," holding out her hoof as Popplio smiled and shook it, thinking, 'How fortunate. Both of moi opponents are actually civil.'

With that, all three were ready to give it their all when a teenaged boy was dropped from the statue. Popplio tucked himself into a ball and exclaimed, "CIRCUS BALL!" rolling toward the finish line.

Escavalier used his lances like poles to vault his way forward, but this proved to be less effective. In fact, the only one Popplio really had to worry about was Zebstrika as her entire body was covered in electricity, which allowed her to run faster.

"WILD CHARGE!" she exclaimed as she and Popplio were neck-and-neck. She turned to the seal and grinned, saying, "I have nothing against you, but it looks like I've got this."

However, Popplio had something else in mind as he smirked and remarked, "I have no qualms with you, either, but this race is mine," before smacking his tail against the ground and shouting, "CIRCUS CATAPULT!"

With that, he propelled himself forward thus increasing his speed just enough to make it first and catch the falling boy. The teen took a deep breath and said, "Thanks, Popplio. You're awesome," the seal grinning as Zebstrika stood upright and folded her arms, saying, "Good job."

The seal set the boy down and allowed him to return to the bleachers before he extended his flipper and shook Zebstrika's hoof. Once Escavalier caught up, he joined in as all three soon parted ways on good terms. Needless to say, it was nice to see at least one race end without any bitterness.

All the while, Primarina gave her son a round of applause and squealed, "I can't believe I tried to keep him away from this career! He's incroyable!"

When Popplio returned to the others, Eevee beamed and squealed, "You did it!" giving him a big hug as he patted her on the back and replied, "You'd better do the same, mon ami, though I know you will."

And after many more races, Eevee just happened to be among the final three contestants. Caterpie smiled and thought, 'Alright, Eevee! This is your big moment! Do an awesome job just like you did in the last event!'

As Eevee stepped up, her eyes widened when she looked at both of her opponents. One was a being with a buff ice body and a head made entirely out of ice cream named Vanillish. He had a rather dopey look on his face, but the fox could not help but think he might be more trouble than he appeared.

The other was a brown sloth with a pig-like nose named Slakoth. He gave Eevee a mellow look and rose his hand, saying, "Hi, there," in a calm tone as the fox thought, 'Okay, how the hell did that guy make it this far?'

Even so, she could not help but find this intimidating. Neither of her opponents looked threatening, and yet she had a feeling she might have very well gotten the toughest ones out of all of her friends.

Soon enough, the final damsel, another teenaged girl was soon risen up inside the statue. However, curiosity seemed to overtake her as she peered out of the mouth at the heroes below. Unfortunately, this wound up being too far, thus she slipped and fell forward, her foot barely hanging onto the mouth.

As such, Metapod spat, "RACERS, START NOW!" before the girl lost her balance and fell toward the mat, all three heroes taking off.

Vanillish shot Eevee a creepy smile and said, "I've heard that you're a lot better than you look. Well, that's gonna change today," as he blew a large gust of wind at her and exclaimed, "ICY WIND!"

As a result, the fox was soon encased in a giant swirl of ice cream as she fell forward, growling, "You asshole!" struggling to free herself from the ice cream. She even tried licking it at one point before groaning, "Coconut and lemon!? Are you kidding!?"

The ice cream boy laughed before turning his attention toward Slakoth, gasping when he noticed just how fast he was. He then frowned and thought, 'Why didn't I see this coming!? That guy's the son of the mighty Vigoroth, one of the fastest heroes from her generation! Of course he has more energy than he let on!'

With that in mind, he started to spin his head before firing icicles from his neck, shouting, "ICICLE BLIZZARD!" only for Slakoth to put his running to a halt and leap over the incoming ice. And with Vanillish still running, he was unable to stop himself as he took the sloth's arm to his neck, falling hard on his back.

While the crowd was fully invested in this, Eevee's friends could not help but pray that she could find a way to turn this around. And luck soon struck as she pried her paws out of the ice cream and growled, "YOU'RE GONNA PAY FOR THIS!"

She then used all her might to lift herself up, running amazingly fast with only her paws as Vanillish rose to his feet. But just as he was about to continue the race, Eevee leapt toward him and spun like a drill. The wind emanating from her caused all of the ice cream to fly off of her before she planted her paws hard into the ice cream boy's back, shouting, "SPINNING FOX TACKLE!"

The crowd watched in awe as Vanillish cried out in agonizing pain, flying forward into Slakoth's back. And with that, both were out cold while Eevee flew onto the safety mat just in time for the human girl to fall on her back.

The fox groaned from the light pain this caused as the girl blinked and looked down, asking, "Are you okay?" not even moving from her spot while Eevee grumbled curses under her breath.

However, once the human got up and returned to the bleachers, Eevee took a deep breath and rose up herself. Metapod nodded and exclaimed, "And with that, we now have our contestants for the final event!" the area erupting with cheers as Eevee beamed bright and squealed, "YEAH!"

She then rose her arms in the air while Umbreon folded hers. Deep down, a part of her was impressed by Eevee's victory, but for some reason, she refused to show it.

Soon enough, the fox's friends ran to her side and gave her a big group hug. While it was a shame Chespin could not advance, at least the majority of them were moving on. Deep down, all three wanted to make it so Caterpie was not the only one of Tokyo's heroes to compete in the tournament.


	39. Chapter 39

This was it. The Hero Olympics started with five hundred and eighty eight contestants and now that number was down to ninety eight, save for Caterpie who had already passed every event by default. Needless to say, tensions were high as everyone awaited the final event. And since it had been quite some time since the Olympics were held last, no one knew exactly what to expect.

However, they were surprised when Metapod explained, "Well, folks, I hope you all enjoyed the first couple of events, because now it's time to get ready for the one that will decide everything. But before we can start, we'll need to change our location."

The audience looked slightly annoyed by this until Yukiko informed everyone of buses lined up outside the Tokyo Dome. These were to take them and the heroes to the new location. After all, Metapod wanted all of the events over and done with before the evening rolled around and there was no way he would make everyone walk to the next location.

And with that in mind, everyone headed outside to take the buses, all of which were big enough to hold a hundred at a time. After all, these vehicles were from Hero Planet and just about everything they had was more advanced than Earth's technology.

"Everyone climb on board single file," Metapod said through a megaphone as Caterpie turned to him and asked, "Can I at least sit with my friends?"

"Nonsense," the chrysalis replied while patting him on the shoulder, "You'll be taking the family limo," the caterpillar sighing and thinking, 'Right, just like I take the limo everywhere. At least most of those other times, the others were riding with me.'

Even so, he was escorted to the vehicle in question where a caterpillar in a butler outfit sat in the driver's seat. Many of the other heroes still competing glared at him, wishing they could have had such a fancy transportation method themselves.

Once inside one of the buses, Eevee took a seat next to Popplio while Lycanroc sat right behind them, a big grin on her face as she said, "I still can't believe we all made it this far."

Noivern soon joined them, moved next to the wolf and said, "Yeah. I feel a little sorry for Litwick, but she got over her loss pretty quickly. She's just glad two of us made it."

Eevee nodded and sighed, "Just think, we're all one step closer to the tournament," as Popplio replied, "Oui, but don't forget. We may have to fight each other at some point."

"I'm fine with that," the fox said, "I had to face my childhood friend to make it this far. If we have to fight at some point, I'd be okay with that. Just don't feel too bad when I wipe the mat with you."

"Oh, you wipe the mat with moi?" Popplio retorted as the two shared a good laugh, Lycanroc and Noivern both grinning.

All the while, Wishiwashi sat at the back since he had come in a little too late. Currently, he was in the form of a fish bowl while he thought, 'Oh, tartar sauce! I wish I could sit with them,' looking back and forth between the heroes next to him. One was a green and yellow pile of sludge and the other was a black dinosaur wearing a skull over his head.

After a while, everyone arrived at the location of the final event. As it so happened, this was to take place in the mountains as many bleachers had been set up at the bottom. And while the audience took a seat, the remaining heroes were told to stand before the path that led up the mountain.

Metapod took a seat between Yukiko and Caterpie while stating, "Welcome to the location of the final event! What is this, you might ask!? Why, it's a time-honoured tradition in the Hero Olympics!"

Soon enough, a sign appeared on a nearby screen saying 'Race to the Finish' as an image of an old hero by the name of Tauros running on all fours accompanied the title. However, the audience did not look quite as thrilled as they should have been, one member asking, "Didn't we just have a race?"

Everyone, including the contestants, nodded and started to talk amongst themselves only for Umbreon to fold her arms and sigh, "This is slightly different, right?"

"Exactly," Metapod replied as once again, no one could figure out how she knew this.

"While the last event was a string of small running races," Yukiko stated, "this is more like a whole marathon. The race will begin here at the bottom of the mountain while the finish line is right at the top. And don't worry about falling off the sides as we have helicopters with safety nets lined up to make sure no one gets hurt, but if you fall into any of these, you will be disqualified."

Now some of the heroes were nervous, especially Wishiwashi as he trembled, his water torso turning a light shade of yellow. Seeing this, many of those standing near him stared wide-eyed and distanced themselves immediately, the guppy sighing.

"Just like before, you can use any method you want to slow down your opponent," Metapod explained, "But be careful, as there have been quite a few obstacles set up to make this race more interesting. So it may be wise to focus less on your opponents."

Caterpie blinked and thought, 'Maybe it's a good thing I'm not doing this,' while his father added, "Normally, the first sixteen to cross the finish line will be our final contestants to enter the tournament. But since my son has already claimed one of those spots, this time it'll be the first fifteen, meaning that one less hero will make it this year. So you'd all better do your absolute best."

Once again, the vast majority of the remaining contestants shot Caterpie cold looks as he whimpered, "Stop making me look like the bad guy," only for Metapod to ignore him and say, "All of you line up at the starting line. We are just about ready to begin."

Eevee nodded at the others and asked, "Are we all gonna make it into the top fifteen?" Popplio giving an army salute and replying, "Oui!" as Lycanroc gave her a thumb up.

Noivern folded his arms and grinned, adding, "You'd better believe it," before Wishiwashi gulped and uttered, "I'm sure as shellfish this can work out. I mean, I made it this far," Popplio giving him a reassuring smile.

Umbreon looked at Crabrawler and said, "I trust you'll be fine, because there's a very high chance I may not race alongside you," the crab nodding and replying, "Of course. You don't need to watch my back. I'm sure I'll make it."

With all of the contestants ready, Metapod nodded and exclaimed, "Without further ado, let us begin!" the heroes taking off as multiple screens turned on so the audience could see how they did.

Currently, no one seemed interested in attacking any of the other heroes. They were waiting until they were higher up and knocking them off the ledge would actually make a difference. Though for the time being, Umbreon was in the lead with Crabrawler close in second.

Wishiwashi was doing surprisingly well as he used his tidal wave form to increase his speed, exclaiming, "Wow! I might actually win!"

Unfortunately for him, it was at this moment that various heroes decided to finally start attacking others. And before he knew it, the nepenthes plant, Victreebel, released a set of vines from under her leaves and bound them to his head. And before he could respond, he was soon pried out of his water torso and flung over the edge, the water following him and forming his body.

By that time, it was too late for him to save himself when he fell in the net and sighed, "Oh, catfish!" the plant thinking, 'That takes care of him. Now to get revenge on Umbreon for making me look bad on Hero Planet. I'll make sure you don't make it to the tournament, you know-it-all!'

Eevee looked toward the ledge and groaned, "Poor Wishiwashi," Popplio nodding and saying, "Be careful, mon ami. I can help increase your speed if you'd like."

The fox smiled and replied, "Thanks, but I'm sure I can handle this," the seal nodding before rolling up into a ball and shouting, "CIRCUS BALL!" using this state to increase his speed.

Lycanroc realized she would need to be independent as well as she picked up the pace, thinking, 'Lugarugan may have been faster than me, but that doesn't mean I can't be fast too.'

After a couple of other heroes were knocked out of the race, the heroes all gasped when they heard an explosion. They then looked up as sure enough, an avalanche of rocks was headed toward them. And seeing smoke coming from the source, it was clear that this had to have been one of the obstacles Metapod mentioned.

Caterpie stared at the screen and turned to the chrysalis as he folded his arms and said, "Don't look so worried, son. After all, heroes can handle worse than this."

And sure enough, most of the heroes did not look too worried about this. Once the rocks were close, many of them, including Crabrawler and Umbreon, used all their might to send a few flying away from them. Popplio also broke form when one came toward him and used his tail to lift it up over his head and send it careening off the edge.

Lycanroc was doing fine until a couple headed straight for her. Thus she swung her arms sideways and knocked them to the side one-by-one. However, she had inadvertently sent one toward Eevee as she gasped, "EEVEE, LOOK OUT!"

The fox squeaked when the rock hit her hard in the face. Thus she wound up tumbling backwards when more rocks headed straight for her. If she was to let either of these strike her, she would be sent off the mountain for sure.

Lycanroc and Popplio were just about to go in and save her when suddenly, she realized something she could do. As such, she used her paws to stop herself from moving further back as she performed a handstand. And just like when she fought Ribombee, she leapt back and forth and successfully evaded both incoming rocks.

Seeing as she was safe, the seal and wolf breathed a sigh of relief as she grinned at them and squealed, "KEEP GOING! I'LL CATCH UP SOON!"

'Or so you think,' thought a nearby flying squirrel named Sentret, 'You're not the only badass normal type in the world.'

But just as she was about to fly after Eevee and strike her, one last rock came rolling down and hit her hard, sending her careening off the side. And since Sentret's arm flaps could only slow down her descent as opposed to actually increasing her height, she was unable to stop herself from falling into the net as she was officially disqualified from the race, her eyes swirling.

But while there were no more rocks to worry about, things had gotten rather intense. Eevee's friends were pretty far ahead, but the fox herself had gone from tenth place all the way down to twenty-ninth. If Lycanroc knew this, she would have felt even more guilty for sending a rock at her earlier.

Many members of the crowd, especially the owner of the club, were concerned as they watched this on one screen. However, while the man looked concerned, Chespin, who was seated next to him, smiled and said, "Don't worry. She's been in worse spots countless times."

"I know," the man sighed with a smile, "It's funny. She reminds me a lot of the Mach family. They'd get in situations like these all the time and always pull through. I have no doubt she'll make it."

It seemed Eevee and Umbreon were not the only ones to be targeted, though, as a small group of heroes had caught up with Scorchicken, who was currently very close to first. Just as it looked like she would pass Umbreon for sure, she was caught off-guard when a green spider named Spinarak sent a string of silk into her neck.

With the chicken distracted, the spider reeled herself toward her with her arms folded and exclaimed, "CROSS POISON!" turning them purple and sending them into her back.

Things only got worse when a sheep with blue skin named Mareep leapt toward her vertically and shouted, "LIGHTNING ORB!" a sphere on the end of her tail covered in electricity as she sent it crashing into the chicken's skull.

The last one to head toward Scorchicken was a green girl with flowers as pigtails and a hula skirt made of pedals named Bellossom. It looked like the chicken would take in even more of a beating when she stood on the tips of her toes and twirled toward her with her pedals sticking out like the blades on a buzz saw.

"PEDAL BALLET!" she exclaimed as Scorchicken growled and lit her foot on fire, sending it backward into the flower girl's face and shouting, "BLAZE KICK JUNIOR!"

Bellossom coughed up a mixture of water and blood and fell hard on her back while Mareep and Spinarak gulped nervously. And it did not end there as Scorchicken glared at them and leapt into the air, sending her burning feet rapidly into their faces while yelling, "MACHINE FLAMETHROWER!"

As a result, all three opponents were out cold as she sighed, "Did you seriously think you could stop a member of the Torch family?" soon realizing she had allowed eight racers to pass her. Thus she turned and bolted up the mountain, determined to make up for lost time. She may have been in the top fifteen, but she wanted to be among the top five and reduce the risk of losing her chance at the tournament.

But while she and Eevee's friends were doing fine, the fox herself had just managed to outrun three opponents and not much else. And to make matters worse, one of them, specifically the pink squirrel, Lickilicky was hot on her trail. Before the fox knew it, he whipped out his long tongue and wrapped it around her waist, trapping her in place as she looked down and groaned in disgust.

"OH MY GOD!" she squeaked, struggling to free herself while Lickilicky smirked and said, "Do not resist la langue. It is my most pleasurable feature!" the fox retorting, "DID YOU HAVE TO PUT THAT IMAGE IN MY HEAD!?"

Either way, she was in no position to speak as Lickilicky placed a firm grip against his tongue and leaned backward, aiming her skull toward the ground and shouting, "TONGUE SUPLEX!"

However, Eevee refused to let this get to her as she ignored the saliva covering her fur and spun her body around when she was right above the squirrel's head. His eyes widened when she managed to squeeze out of the hold and send her feet hard into his skull. Thus he was out cold as she breathed a sigh of relief and carried on, especially now that he had caused her to go back another place.

Crabrawler and Umbreon were still in first when suddenly, iron walls shot up from underground in front of them. The crab was unprepared for this as he ran face-first into one of them, Umbreon turning only for him to signal her to keep going while rubbing his face. As such, she nodded and carried on, trusting him to be fine.

However, Victreebel saw this as a perfect opportunity as she exclaimed, "VINE ARMY!" and let loose a large number of vines from her mouth. She bound them to one of the walls and launched herself forward, flying over many others before she was close to Umbreon. This was the opportunity she needed as she lifted all of the vines over her head, shouting, "VINE WHIP!"

Umbreon was unprepared, thus all of the vines hit her hard in the back, knocking her on her belly. She then wrapped them around the black fox and slowly carried her toward the edge of the mountain, saying, "This is for making me look bad in front of our instructors."

Umbreon blinked and turned her head toward her and uttered, "Who are you again?" the plant retorting, "WHAT!?" before leaping into the air and preparing to hurl the black fox into the safety net below.

However, before she could do so, a dark aura surrounded Umbreon as she spun her body around and blasted open the vines, shouting, "DARK BATTLE SUIT!"

She then descended toward Victreebel and rammed her elbow hard into the back of her head. This sent the plant forward just enough for her to fall off the edge and land in the net as she was now disqualified from the race.

While Victreebel had provided a bit of distraction, it was not too bad since only Scorchicken had managed to pass by Umbreon. Right now, the black fox was much more concerned about Crabrawler. She thought for sure he would have caught up to her by now.

Popplio and Lycanroc saw the walls dead ahead when they neared the area and did a fairly good job avoiding them. However, just as they were about to evade another pair, the meteor, Minior, and a pale grey cat named Weavile leapt toward them. The meteor extended a pair of white noodle-like legs from her lower holes and hit the seal hard in the back of the head, sending his belly into an iron wall. All the while, Weavile used her feet on Lycanroc's back to show the same results.

Lycanroc groaned and tried her hardest to ignore the pain as Popplio gritted his teeth and growled, "Come on, mon ami! Let's show teach them a lesson!"

The wolf nodded and took a deep breath, leaping onto the seal's tail as he launched her into the air. She then spun toward Weavile's back like a drill with her claws out and exclaimed, "WOLF BULLET!"

This put big cuts into the cat's back as she fell forward into a wall, now out cold. While this happened, Popplio launched himself toward Minior while tucked into a ball, shouting, "BOUNCING BALL STRIKE!" and hitting the back of her head with his tail.

With both adversaries down for the count, Popplio and Lycanroc gave one-another a high five and carried on, still hoping that Eevee could catch up with them at some point. After all, it had been a while since she had fallen behind.

Luckily, the fox had managed to make it into twenty-first, though upon seeing the iron walls, she knew she would need to be nimble. As such, she focused hard and swerved around each and every one of them while the five opponents in front of her seemed to struggle. Thus she managed to make it into sixteenth, a big smile on her face as she thought, 'Yes! Just one more and I'll be in the top-'

Unfortunately, her train of thought was cut off when a millipede with a dark-grey exoskeleton and yellow eyes in the middle of his body named Whirlipede rolled into her while shouting, "CENTIPEDE STEAMROLLER!"

Eevee's eyes widened as she fell hard on her belly. Thus Whirlipede carried on ahead of her like a wheel while Axew leapt onto her back and exclaimed, "No hard feelings, but I wanna win this!"

The fox looked beyond irritated when more heroes passed her. As such, she was down to twenty-fifth as she fumed and thought, 'Alright, that's it! I'm gonna win this no matter what!' and thus she proceeded to carry on ahead.

Needless to say, she would really need to step up her game if she was to stand a chance. While her friends were all doing a good job, she was struggling greatly. Could she really make her way to the top fifteen or was she wasting her efforts?


	40. Chapter 40

So far, things were looking good for Eevee's friends. Popplio and Lycanroc were both in eighth and seventh place respectively while even Noivern had managed to stay in twelfth for quite a while. But while this went on, Eevee herself was not looking so well as she had been knocked down to twenty-fifth after coming so close to fifteenth.

Chespin watched her on one of the screens and narrowed his eyelids, thinking, 'This isn't good. She's already past the halfway point. She'll need to really pick up the pace now.'

Caterpie thought the same thing while Metapod smiled and said, "Your allies are pretty good, I have to say. The way that Lycanroc and Popplio just turned a big disadvantage in their favour was pretty cool."

The caterpillar let out a sigh before nodding and replying, "Yeah, Dad, they are pretty awesome. Though I'm a little worried about Eevee," the chrysalis gasping, "That's right! She's one of your friends too, isn't she?"

It seemed that Eevee was not the only one struggling at the moment, though, as Crabrawler had been held up by a yellow cat named Abra. Currently, she had him trapped in a psychic bubble as she said, "Seeing as this is the first time a member of the Mach family has no way of winning this event, I guess I may as well target the next best thing. After all, the Adair family has won the championship four times in the past."

Crabrawler gritted his teeth as she carried on and left him drifting there. There was no way he would allow this to slide. After all, Umbreon wanted him to advance to the tournament and he could not let her down. As such, he rammed his elbow into the side of the bubble.

Abra used meditation to float forward only for her concentration to cut off when she heard something pop. For the first time in her life, her eyes opened as she turned and gasped, "WHAT!? HOW DID YOU BREAK THROUGH PSYCHIC ENERGY!?"

She had no time to think about this when Crabrawler sent his feet rapidly into her skull, shouting, "CRAB KICKS!" thus knocking her out as he blinked and thought, 'That move didn't make me feel tired. How did I come up with that anyway?'

He then shook his head and advanced forward, realizing he had just been bumped down to seventeenth and needed to make up for lost time. But while he was no longer in the top fifteen, Eevee still had it far worse.

It had gotten to a point where the fox could not help but think the world was conspiring against her at this point. Every time she advanced one or two places, one of the other contestants would knock her down and cause her to go back two more. But things became their absolute worst when the blue golem, Boldore, sprouted a blade from his forehead and rammed it into her back.

With that, blood flew out of that particular spot as Eevee was now spread out on her arms and legs. Five heroes passed her thus resulting in her going down to fortieth. And it only got worse when more and more contestants passed her.

'No,' she thought, 'I can't believe it. There's no way to make it. It's way too late to make a big comeback now.'

She then closed her eyes and thought, 'I don't even think Great Grandma Jolteon would have anything for this,' when suddenly, she remembered another technique from her family tree.

This was a move created by her great great great grandmother, Glaceon. This move involved her using her long locks of hair while jumping at an opponent to create a gust of wind behind her. This ultimately increased her speed and added a great deal of momentum to her finishing moves.

'Alright, Glaceon, hopefully I can make this work,' she thought as she rose up on all fours. She proceeded to run with all her might while pointing her ears forward. And after a few steps, she leapt forward and exclaimed, "FLYING FOX PROPELLER!"

With that, she sent her ears back hard enough to create a strong wind behind her. Many of the heroes gaining on her were blown back a little bit as she managed to fly forward, soaring right over the heads of many other contestants. And while she had only managed to get back into fortieth, this gave her hope as her eyes sparkled, the fox thinking, 'Wow! I didn't think my ears were strong enough for that!'

Caterpie's eyes widened while he exclaimed, "Yeah, way to go, Eevee!" Metapod blinking and thinking, 'Oh yeah, it's our job to be neutral, not his.'

As such, she decided to try it just one more time, this time flying over Boldore and making her way to thirty-fifth. She then gritted her teeth and thought, 'Dammit, this isn't good enough! I need some surefire way to make up for lost time!'

To make matters worse, her ears were starting to hurt. It seemed using this move cased them a bit of strain. However, it was only a light sting right now and thus she figured one more use would not hurt. With that in mind, she took a deep breath and leapt into the air, shifting her ears forward and back one last time thus flying into twenty-eighth due to the six heroes she had passed being closer together than the four she flew over earlier. And that number became twenty-seventh when one of two heroes in front of her was knocked off the edge.

Now there was no doubt in her mind that she could make it, even if she could no longer afford to use her new Flying Fox Propeller. After all, she had just gotten much closer than she would have expected and this time, nothing would stop her from reaching the top fifteen.

Unfortunately, things were not looking as good for Crabrawler. While he had been in seventeenth before, a few other heroes had passed him as he was now down to twenty-second. It seemed he was now in a tight spot as well.

And to make matters worse, Umbreon was starting to feel it as this actually caused her to lose a bit of focus and allow two contestants to pass her. And while she was still in forth, she could not help but worry about her ally at this point.

To add more fuel to the fire, those far ahead were very close to the top. This meant if Eevee and Crabrawler really wanted to be in the top fifteen, they would need to pick up the pace even more than they were right now. But with the fox's ears needing a rest and the crab falling behind, could they possibly pull this off?

Either way, Umbreon needed to remain focused as she noticed an elderly serpent dragon named Drampa coming up behind her. He had a big grin on his face while his cloud-like hands opened up menacingly. Upon turning to see him, the black fox frowned and sent a backward kick into his gut, causing him to cough lightly and fall on his back, tumbling backward before stopping himself.

While Umbreon carried on, Popplio and Lycanroc passing the dragon, she was now distracted by how easy it had been to fight him off. Was he really as old as he looked? Surely someone that old would not even think of competing in the Hero Olympics.

She then shook her head and thought, 'Right, stay focused. I'm sure Crabrawler will be fine. He's more than capable of handling himself."

Unfortunately, his odds were looking even worse when a boy with a head like an acorn named Seedot leapt atop his head and propelled himself off. Now the crab was down to twenty-forth as Eevee just caught up with him. She then turned, now running in sync with him as she asked, "Hey, you're Umbreon's partner, right? Um..."

"Crabrawler," the crab replied with a sigh, "But I'm not exactly proving my worth right now, am I?"

Eevee blinked while he sighed, "It's so unfair! I spent most of the race in second and now I'm down to twenty-forth! I don't think I'll make it! And I really wanted to compete with Umbreon!"

Upon hearing this, the fox frowned and growled, "No way! I just blasted my way from fiftieth all the way to twenty-fifth! If I can pull that off, then there's still hope!"

She then held out her paw and sighed, "I'm sure Umbreon wouldn't approve of this, but you seem like a nice guy, so let's do this together," the crab's eyes sparkling as he nodded and shook her paw, replying, "Thanks. And just between you and me, I think deep down, Umbreon would be grateful for this."

With that in mind, Eevee leapt atop Crabrawler's head and asked, "You think you can throw me at those two?" pointing at the heroes in twenty-third and twenty-second as the crab nodded and placed a firm grip on her ankles. He then reeled her back and flung her forward, the fox rolling into a ball and squealing, "FLYING FOX WHEEL!"

With that, she rammed herself hard into Seedot thus causing him to fly forward and collide with a water strider named Surskit. As a result, both were out cold as Crabrawler caught up with her, giving her a high five.

"Umbreon's dead wrong about you," he said with a grin, "You're incredible! I'm actually kinda jealous!" Eevee blushing bright and uttering, "You're actually jealous of me?"

Unfortunately, while the two were close to the top twenty now, they would still need to pick up the pace since other heroes were finally starting to reach the top. Scorchicken was naturally the first to cross the finish line as no one had opposed her since she dealt with the trio that attacked her. As such, she rose her fist in the air while Umbreon had barely managed to get second place back, breathing heavily while she knelt down and clasped onto her ankles.

"You're pretty good," she said with a look of respect, "I hope I get to face you at some point," Scorchicken smirking and replying, "Same here."

Even so, she could not be too happy as she looked back and noticed Popplio and Lycanroc cross, both making third and forth place respectively. They then grinned at one-another and shared a high five as Popplio looked back and thought, 'Come on, Eevee. You can do it.'

It started to look less likely when Drampa made it into fifth place, a grin on his face as he asked, "Thought you could keep me down, eh, little lady?" Umbreon scowling at him when Bewear followed close behind.

The crowd liked most of these results as Metapod said, "Look, son, your friends made it," the caterpillar uttering, "Well, at least two of them did," thinking, 'Come on, Eevee,' turning to all the screens to notice she and Crabrawler no longer seemed to be focused on, but why was anyone's guess.

Soon taking seventh place was a pink mantis named Lurantis. And close behind her in eighth was the ghostly sword, Honedge. And now things were looking less hopeful for Eevee when ninth and tenth respectively were claimed by an owl known as Decidueye and an orange cat named Torracat.

"Well, would you look at that?" the owl asked with a grin, "We made it," Torracat nodding and folding her arms as she replied, "Yeah. This is great."

Noivern crossed the finish line shortly after and landed before Popplio, saying, "Good. You guys made it. So where's Eevee?" Lycanroc sighing, "She hasn't made it yet, but good job," holding out her fist before the bat pounded it.

Popplio smiled before saying, "Well, I have no doubt in my mind Eevee will make it. There are still four spots left," Umbreon folding her arms and thinking, 'That goes double for Crabrawler. Come on, you swore you'd be fine without my help.'

Unfortunately, she had a lot of trouble hiding her concern now when the grey dragon, Kommo-o took twelfth place. And it only got worse as a blue stag beetle named Vikavolt crossed the finished line and claimed thirteenth.

Popplio tensed up and started to panic as he groaned, "Oh non! There's only two places left!" Lycanroc biting her lower lip, she and Noivern at a loss for words. Even they were starting to seriously doubt that Eevee could make it.

"Something must have happened!" the seal groaned while he pulled on his own ears, "I should have gone back to help her after that rock hit-" pursing his lips when he turned to Lycanroc.

However, this hardly seemed to help as the wolf sighed, "It's all my fault. If I hadn't kicked that rock toward her, she'd still be in the top fifteen," Noivern sighing, "Don't beat yourself up over that. Everyone messes up sometimes."

Unfortunately, his positive attitude seemed to leave him when he saw a blue blob with a beaver tail named Wobbuffet and a grey rabbit named Bunnelby closing in. Both had big smiles on their faces as Wobbuffet exclaimed, "I'm so happy I can feel my heart wobbling with joy!"

"Don't try to make name-related puns like your dad," Bunnelby sighed when suddenly, Eevee and Crabrawler leapt into the area and soared right past them. And with that, both made it past the finish line just in the nick of time and claimed fourteenth and fifteenth respectively.

The area went silent, Chespin and Caterpie both breathing simultaneous sighs of relief. It had been super close, but all four of their friends still competing had made it. All the while, the chipmunk folded his arms and grumbled, "Even in a race, she has to cut it close."

"So, did we do it?" Eevee uttered as Crabrawler counted the number of heroes past the finish line and nodded, replying, "Yep, Eevee, we made it into the top fifteen, but just barely."

With that, the crowd went wild while Metapod pressed a button. This caused speakers hidden within the mountain to activate as he exclaimed, "And after a very long and intense race, the fifteen heroes taking part in the fighting tournament have been decided! Therefor the race up the mountain is over!"

Many of those still racing let out disappointed sighs, Wobbuffet groaning, "This is a wobbly disappointment," Bunnelby sighing, "Seriously, you're trying too hard."

Eevee breathed a sigh of relief when Popplio leapt at her and tackled her to the ground, shouting, "I KNEW YOU WOULD MAKE IT, MON AMI!" Lycanroc and Noivern both chuckling as the wolf sighed, "Seriously, that was really close."

"Well, yeah, I wasn't sure if I could make it," Eevee uttered before she noticed Umbreon approach Crabrawler with a light smile.

"Well, it was close, but you did it," Umbreon said as she held out her fist, the crab pounding it and sighing, "Please don't get mad, but, well, I honestly would have lost if Eevee hadn't helped me."

The black fox blinked as she turned toward her sister. However, she neither looked shocked, happy nor angry. She simply folded her arms with a neutral look, shrugged her shoulders and replied, "The important thing is we're both able to compete. I'm glad we have this opportunity."

The crab nodded as Eevee took a deep breath and sighed, "I really hope they don't expect us to run back down the mountain," all three of her friends staring silently before realizing she had a point.

Luckily, it seemed Metapod had this planned out as an elevator came up for all of them, the chrysalis stating, "The finalists will be brought back here via the elevator. Other contestants still racing up the mountains will be brought down with choppers very soon."

With all said and done, the group returned to ground level as Litwick and Chespin ran over to the group, the candle smiling at Noivern and Lycanroc before saying, "Good job."

The wolf nodded with a grin as Chespin beamed and exclaimed, "I knew you could all do it!"

Eevee was about to express her agreement when she noticed Wishiwashi seated cross-legged while twiddling his watery fingers. She let out a sigh and walked over to him, saying, "Hey, buddy."

"Oh, hi," he uttered, "Congratulations on making it," a sad look in his eyes until the fox sighed, "Look, don't feel too bad. You made it as far as the third event. Would the old you have pulled that off?"

The fish blinked and gasped, "You're absolutely right! And I bet my last sand dollar that the next time I compete, I will make it to the tournament!" the fox squealing and clapping for him, Popplio folding his flippers and sighing.

And with everything out of the way, Caterpie blinked and asked, "Hey, Dad, I know I gotta stay by your side until tomorrow, but can I at least talk to my friends for a minute?" the chrysalis nodding and replying, "Of course you can, son. You will be competing with them very soon, after all."

The caterpillar smiled and got up before making his way over to them, saying, "Eevee, I don't know how you pulled that off, but you continue to impress me all the time. Seriously, how did you come up with that thing you did with your ears?"

"Quoi?" Popplio uttered as Eevee squeaked, "You saw that!? It was cool, wasn't it!?" the caterpillar nodding before Lycanroc whined, "Aw, I would have loved to have seen that!"

The fox giggled before explaining, "Well, I based it off of a move that my great great great grandma, Glaceon used back in the day. She called it Ice Propeller in which she would use her locks like fans to increase her speed. Honestly, I didn't think my skinny ears could pull it off, but they really did."

Umbreon overheard this but said nothing, though deep down, a part of her was impressed. Even so, she refused to show it as she and Crabrawler left the area to rest up.

"Either way, this calls for a celebration!" Chespin suggested, "It's been a while since we went to the club! Why don't we go there for dinner!?" Caterpie sighing, "I'd love to, but Dad wants to have dinner at our place."

"Oh, we can all meet up there, then," Lycanroc uttered as the caterpillar replied, "Unfortunately, Dad wants this to be a private meal between the two of us. But don't let that stop you. I want you guys to have fun before you spend four days training for your first set of matches."

Noivern blinked and asked, "Is that how long we have until the tournament starts?" as Caterpie nodded and replied, "Yeah. Dad's gonna reveal that tomorrow when the order's decided, but I figured you guys oughta know first, right?"

With all said and done, the group headed off to spend time at the club. It was a shame Caterpie could not join them, but if they really had so little time to ready themselves for the first round, it was best to get their celebration out of the way as soon as possible. And at the very least, Noivern, Litwick and Wishiwashi would join them, so it was not as if it would just be four of Tokyo's heroes.

Soon enough, all seven were seated at a table with Wishiwashi's body having taken the form of a bowl. He was currently drinking fruit punch from a straw as he said, "You know, this place is pretty nice."

"I have to admit, there is a weird charm to it," Noivern added, "There's nothing special here and yet it's just so inviting," as Chespin replied, "I know, right?"

Eevee took a sip of a cocktail and rose a glass, saying, "Here's to success," everyone clinging their glasses together before she added, "And by the way, if I beat any of you, no hard feelings, right?"

"That's a pretty big if," Lycanroc remarked jokingly while Noivern added, "I've been improving since we last fought, and there's no way in Hell that Flying Fox Wheel of yours is gonna best me again."

The group laughed and enjoyed the rest of the evening, but they knew there was a lot yet to come. The three events were only the beginning. One could only guess how powerful their opponents would be.


	41. Chapter 41

With the sixteen contestants in the tournament finally chosen, everyone was assembled at the Tokyo Dome to see the order in which they would fight. Would Eevee be pitted up against one of her friends? Perhaps she would end up facing her sister in the first round. It was anyone's guess.

Either way, many people and other heroes who were no longer competing sat down to see the events unfold. Though right now, the one thing that really grabbed their attention was a big machine covered by a cloth.

Chespin blinked and asked, "So, what do you suppose it is?" Litwick replying, "I figure it's whatever they're using to decide the order."

The chipmunk nodded as Wishiwashi tensed up and groaned, "I just want them to reveal the order soon and get it over with! I get this funny feeling Eevee and Popplio will fight in the first round and it's gonna be super dramatic as it'll be like the student fighting the master, you know!?"

"That might actually happen," Chespin uttered, his eyes wide open, "I hadn't thought about that."

The crowd soon quieted down when Metapod and Yukiko entered the area. The chrysalis smiled at everyone and said, "So very nice to see you all here. As you probably noticed by now, everything in the Hero Olympics is a huge spectacle, and that includes deciding the order. So rather than drawing names out of a hat or something simple like that, we got this."

The crowd stared in awe when a hook was used to lift up the cloth and reveal a giant pinball machine underneath. Lining the middle of it were sixteen slots with the same number of balls loaded up and ready to be launched. However, one audience member got a good look at the pinballs and pointed, exclaiming, "Hey, everyone, the heroes are inside the balls!"

Soon enough, everyone could see it as the balls were made of a clear material that was at least hard enough not to be easily broken. Eevee noticed the crowd and waved happily to them while Chespin blinked and said, "Everyone looks surprisingly calm."

"Very perceptive," Metapod replied as Yukiko explained, "As you have all now noticed, the heroes have been sealed up inside these clear balls. That's because each one represents one of them. And that brings me to the slots in the middle. Whichever order the balls fall in will ultimately decide the order. Meaning whoever falls in the leftmost hole will fight in the first match while the one who lands in the rightmost will partake in the last one. I'm sure you can guess the rest from there."

The audience seemed to understand as many could not help but fixate on Caterpie's ball. Once again, Metapod decided to give him special treatment and thus his ball was a transparent shade of gold. Needless to say, he was once again embarrassed and really hoped no one hated him for this.

Of course, his entire head became the colour of a tomato when his father added, "And of course, my wonderful son will be launched first! After that, there will be a ten second break before the next ball is released, and this will continue until every single one is out."

Umbreon folded her arms and thought, 'Very similar to the Pachinko Machine that was used in the twenty-eighth Hero Olympics. I guess the only difference is that this machine has paddles in case a ball misses a slot.'

Wishiwashi stared at this and uttered, "You know, maybe it's a good thing I didn't make it this far," as Chespin patted him on the head.

Metapod nodded and said, "Release the first ball," as a group of staff members from Hero Planet approached the machine and pulled on the shooter. And once it was far enough, they released their hold on it thus sending Caterpie's ball into the lane.

His eyes widened when the ball ran into a bumper and sent him flying into another one. And it was not long until he found himself bounced back and forth, the next ball carrying Lurantis now launched into the area. Her ball ultimately collided with his and sent it downward as he breathed a sigh of relief.

However, it would still be a while until he fell into a slot as he flew into the entrance to a slide that carried him all the way around and dropped him out at the top. And this kept up for a while until finally, every single ball was out.

Much to Metapod's surprise, the first ball to claim a spot was not Caterpie's but rather Noivern's. It ultimately landed in the sixth slot to the left. And after that, Lurantis wound up falling in the third.

Wishiwashi watched this and uttered, "The others must be suffering," as Chespin replied, "Actually, none of them look like they're in pain. Look."

He soon saw it. As it so happened, all of the balls were made of a material so tough that the heroes could not feel it. If anything, the only thing any of them risked getting was dizziness from all the spinning, but none of them seemed to get that either.

Soon enough, Decidueye and Torracat both landed in the third and forth slots to the right respectively. The two stared blankly at one-another, surprised that they would already have to fight in the first round. After all, both had a bit of a history together, but whatever that was would have to wait.

Vikavolt fell in the seventh spot to the right as Lycanroc took the sixth. Then Caterpie finally landed, shocked to find that he was in the first slot to the left, meaning he would partake in the very first match. And of course, Metapod was thrilled to see this as he exclaimed, "I knew it!"

"You didn't rig his ball somehow, did you?" Yukiko enquired as he gasped, "That actually would have been a good idea! Then I could have guaranteed this would happen!"

Caterpie was already feeling nervous about the very idea when suddenly, Kommo-o landed right next to him. Now he was tensing up all over while he thought, 'Oh my god! I was hoping the first opponent I ever beat wouldn't be so scary!' the dragon glaring at him.

Popplio took the slot next to Lurantis as he bowed his head to her, Eevee landing in the first slot to the left. As such, she would partake in the fifth match while her best friend would fight in the third.

And with less balls bouncing off of one-another, more and more soon found places as well. Crabrawler took the second slot to the left and Bewear wound up right next to him. Scorchicken soon claimed the slot beside Noivern while Honedge was in the last slot to the right. And soon enough, the lineup was finally concluded when Drampa landed beside Eevee and Umbreon claimed the spot next to Lycanroc.

Eevee turned toward Umbreon's ball and thought, 'Wow, not only did I claim a spot before her, but I'm going before her!' a look of disappointment on her face as her mind added, 'Too bad that didn't require actual skill.'

Umbreon was less focused on this as all she could think about right now was her opponent. Lycanroc turned to her and folded her arms with a grin, thinking, 'Sorry, Eevee. I guess I'll have to face your sister. I hope you don't mind me going all-out. I might just win.'

Kommo-o, all the while, pointed at her eyes and redirected her claws toward Caterpie. He tensed up and really hoped he was as prepared for this as Lycanroc and his mother told him. After all, he really wanted this to be his first victory in his entire life.

And of course, there were a few others giving their opponents certain looks. Drampa was currently eyeing Eevee up before nodding and folding his arms, the fox thinking, 'He may look frail and weak, but he's probably hardcore just like Vanillish and Slakoth. He may not even be as old as he looks.'

Yukiko broke up the silence and exclaimed, "And there you have it, folks! The order has been decided! However, as much as I'm sure some of you would like to see at least a couple of fights today, well, you might be a little disappointed!"

Everyone stared blankly as Metapod added, "She's right. The first round will actually begin three days from now, and none of the matches will take place here. We will provide info on the first location both on the news and on the official Hero Olympics website. So be sure to take note of that as, well, our fight locations can be a little unconventional to say the least."

Now those who knew little about the Olympics were intrigued. Granted, many of them were miffed to have come all the way here just to see the order, but on the upside, they did get more than just a simple drawing of names.

Soon enough, everyone was ready to head home as Caterpie took many deep breaths. Lycanroc gave him a sweet smile and patted him on the head, saying, "Hey, it's okay. She can't be any more frightening than we were when you fought us."

"Yeah, but I lost to you," Caterpie groaned as Popplio sighed, "Come on, mon ami. You can do it. Just remember all that training you've been doing. You want that to go to waste?"

The caterpillar sported a more serious look and nodded as Eevee squealed, "Come on, Popplio! Let's go train like there's no tomorrow! You got a mantis to fight and I got me an old dragon!"

The seal nodded and headed off with her when Chespin said, "Wow, they're really excited about this."

Caterpie looked down as Lycanroc beamed and suggested, "Come on, we can start training too," only for the caterpillar to sigh, "Unfortunately, that would be impossible. Dad's still staying at our place and I'm sure he'll know if I start training behind his back. He'll stop me from doing it and tell me I'm wasting all my energy. I was able to sneak in training sessions back home, but-"

"But nothing," Lycanroc retorted, "If you could train behind his back on Hero Planet, you can train behind his back here. Besides, we're both competing in the first round, so we both need this."

Caterpie let down a light tear and sniffed, "You're the best!" before giving her a hug while Litwick and Noivern nodded at one-another. They, too, would train so Noivern would be ready for his match with Scorchicken. At the very least, all four friends wanted to make it as far as the second round, especially since none of them had been pitted up against any of the others.

Meanwhile, Umbreon turned to Crabrawler and asked, "You wanna train with me?" the crab nodding with a light smile and replying, "Yeah. That bear raccoon thing will be my first step toward living up to the Adair name," as the black fox gave him a light smile.

And so for the next three days, everyone did their absolute best to prepare themselves for the first round. It was difficult, but Caterpie made certain to always get in a just a little bit of training with Lycanroc every time Metapod went to take a nap. And via his own request, none of the servants were to tell his father what he was doing, and of course, all of them were happy to keep this a secret. After all, the last thing they wanted was for their master to lose just because of their loyalty to his father.

Once the last day came around, the two got in their last sparring session. Caterpie sent a few punches into Lycanroc's gut only to receive a hard knee kick to the face. While he backed up, the wolf gasped, "You okay?" as he nodded and replied, "Hey, I gotta be able to handle pain if I wanna win, right?"

Lycanroc beamed before saying, "I just know you're gonna kick so much butt tomorrow. That scary dragon won't know what hit her."

The caterpillar nodded and let out a sigh. As much as his confidence had risen, he was still uncertain. What if it was too much to believe that someone as scary-looking as Kommo-o could possibly be the first fighter he defeated? What if he was doomed to never win a single match in his entire career? For all he knew, his father might have been wrong to assume he was hero material.

Lycanroc could tell he was thinking this as she rested her paws on his shoulders and looked deep into his eyes, saying, "Look, Caterpie, if by some chance it looks hopeless and you think you might lose, just remember one thing. We all believe in you."

Just hearing these very words helped the caterpillar calm down. And he just knew he would have to believe that she was right. After all, he had spent months preparing for this. The last thing he wanted was for all of that hard work to be in vain.

Meanwhile, Eevee and Popplio were currently enjoying a nice meal that the fox had helped prepare. The seal took a bite and said, "Tres bien. I guess you weren't kidding when you said you had lessons."

"Damn straight," Eevee replied as she took a bite, "I still don't think I'm quite at your level, but I'm getting there," Popplio grinning in response.

He then took another bite and added, "You know, I'm starting to think you might not need my advice so much anymore. You come up with all kinds of creative ways to win now," before the fox uttered, "So does that mean-?"

The seal nodded and said, "Non. I'll still always be there to cheer you on when I can. I'm just saying that it's really impressive how many matches you've won without moi there to warn you about an incoming move or something like that."

Eevee nodded and sighed, "Yeah, even I can't believe how good my track record is sometimes. Though I really hope I'm good enough to face Umbreon at some point. It would require me making it through the first two rounds, assuming she makes it that far."

Popplio nodded and uttered, "Oui. I imagine it'll be hard cheering for Lycanroc tomorrow when she's up against your own soeur."

Eevee bit her lower lip as he added, "Anyway, let's just think about our matches, oui?" the fox nodding and squealing, "Right! That dragon gives off a weird vibe, but I know I can beat him!"

With all said and done, the fox was finished for the day and decided to head home and rest up. Getting through the events may have been tough, but she knew none of that would compare to what was coming up. She wanted Umbreon to see how good she had gotten.

After a good night's sleep, everyone was headed toward the shopping district. As it so happened, the first set of matches were scheduled to take place atop the roof of a large mall. It was certainly a weird location to say the least, but this was common for the Hero Olympics.

Eevee and the others were already in the bleachers, Chespin turning to Lycanroc and asking, "Are you sure you wanna join us right now? I mean, Caterpie might want help with his entrance."

"Yeah," the wolf replied with a nod of her head, "I know he would love for me to help him with that, but that's not up to us to decide. Metapod had his own entrance planned for him, so yeah."

"Oh, right, how silly of me," the chipmunk uttered with his eyelids lowered, "I can't wait until Metapod leaves. He's the reason we can't see him as much as we usually do lately. Is it awful that I'm saying that about the chairman?"

The others shook their heads before Popplio sighed, "Normally I'd say oui, but he really needs to stop pampering Caterpie."

Soon enough, Yukiko took a seat next to Metapod and exclaimed, "Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls to the first match of the Hero Olympics tournament!" the crowd cheering wildly before she added, "I'm your host, Yukiko, and joining me is the Hero Planet chairman himself, Metapod!"

The reception only got louder and more positive as the chrysalis bowed and said, "Thank you, Yukiko. Anyway, I hope you're all really excited as we have eight matches lined up today. Though I doubt any will be quite as memorable as this one, if you catch my drift," winking as most of the audience was prepared to see Caterpie make a fool of himself again after so long.

"Before we start, we may as well clear up how this usually works," Yukiko stated, "After all, not only are there plenty of kids who have never been to this event, but, well, it has been more than twenty years since we last held this."

"Right you are," Metapod replied, "Anyway, here's how this will play out. We pick one location for two matches, meaning only the first two matches will take place here. After that, we move to a new location and give everyone an hour to relocate. And this same pattern repeats until all eight matches are finished, meaning there will be a total of four different areas."

The audience seemed to understand, many of them glad to hear that they would not have to spend too long on the roof. Even with a barricade preventing anyone from falling off, it was still a tad windy.

"So I guess your match won't be up here, then," Chespin said to Popplio as he shrugged, Lycanroc now wondering where her match would take place.

"Holy mackerel," Wishiwashi uttered, "They sure put a lot of thought into this. If I was in this tournament and they had me fight over a pool, I'd be on easy street."

"And so, without further ado, let us begin this oh-so-exciting first match!" Metapod stated as the crowd's excitement grew.

Caterpie waited in a secluded area with a golden outfit set aside for him. However, he refused to wear it as he tied a gold headband with a beetle symbol in the middle to his head and thought, 'This'll be my new battle outfit, something fitting and humble. I'm sorry, Dad. I know this getup cost a fortune, but if I lose, at least this way, it'll be less humiliating.'

"In the red corner," Yukiko announced, "To this date, he is the very first representative of Hero Planet! And though he is small, he has the fire of a true warrior in his blood!"

Many members of the crowd were resisting the urge to call her out on that, but when they saw her looking down at a cue card, they could tell this speech was Metapod's doing. Either way, they had their phones at the ready since they intended to record every moment of this match.

"Give a round of applause for the chairman's son himself, Caterpie!" the woman exclaimed as Metapod whispered, "Good job. Very believable delivery."

But while everyone was prepared for a pretentious entrance like when Caterpie fought Ribombee, they were shocked to hear no musical accompaniment. There was also no red carpet or servants coming out ahead of him. And when Eevee noticed Metapod's confusion, she could tell Caterpie had ultimately decided not to go with the entrance he had planned.

And it seemed so as Caterpie approached the ring with a serious look on his face. Everyone saw the headband while Metapod's eyes widened. He then let down light tears and thought, 'That's the headband I used to wear back in the day. I gave that to him for his birthday this year. I should have told him to wear that instead! I'm so proud of you, son!'

As the caterpillar entered the ring, those with their phones out were a touch disappointed. Even so, he still barely got any applause from the crowd, save for his friends as Noivern said, "I really hope he's able to generate more excitement than that when this is all over."

"I'm sure he will," Lycanroc replied before giving Caterpie a thumb up. And when he saw this, he nodded his head with a light smile on his face.

Yukiko proceeded to direct everyone's attention to the left side and stated, "And in the blue corner is not only a powerful adversary but also a very fashionable one hailing from Peru. With amazing skills and strength, Kommo-o!"

The Peruvian fans gave a round of applause when the dragon rode in on a float with a golden throne in the middle. She was a true sight to behind with her tall slender grey body that was covered in gold scaly armour. She had a rounded beak-like snout with a pale grey patch on the tip. Her head was covered with an elaborate arrangement of scales that resembled locks of hair with an ovular scale on the front and a red heart shape at the base. Along most of her body were scales with a grey center save for her wrists, in which the center was red. On her shoulders were tufts of spiky white feathers and the end of her tail had twelve scales sticking out that resembled flower pedals, the tip of her tail matching her snout in colour thus making it look more like a spearhead.

Once the float stopped, she got up off her throne and entered the ring, folding her arms and glaring down at Caterpie. He looked up at her and trembled as she was twice as tall as he was. One could only guess how he could so much as stand a chance against such an opponent.


	42. Chapter 42

While Caterpie had tried his hardest to remain confident, just looking at Kommo-o standing before him made him weak at the knees. This was his moment, his chance to prove himself and yet right now, he could not help but wonder if that moment would ever happen.

But just as he was about ready to back out, he remembered the words Lycanroc had told him yesterday. She along with the rest of his friends believed in him. Now he needed to believe in himself.

Thus he sported a more serious look and nodded at Yukiko, the woman smiling and ringing the bell. As such, the match began while Caterpie leapt backward into the ropes and launched himself off, aiming his skull toward Kommo-o's midsection.

The dragon smirked and turned around, shouting, "ANCIENT MACE!" as her tail scales rammed into his side. This caused him to fall on his side as the Peruvian crowd went wild, most of the other audience members recording every second of this on their phones.

Caterpie frowned and pushed himself up only for Kommo-o to lift him up by his tail and hurl him into the turnbuckle. Lycanroc stared in horror while Chespin clasped his hands over his eyes. This was just too painful to watch.

"And much like when he fought Ribombee, Caterpie just can't seem to get a break," Yukiko stated as Kommo-o marched toward him, "If he doesn't think fast, this may be one of the shortest matches in Hero Olympic history."

Eevee gritted her teeth and growled, "Look at everyone! They want to see that happen! It makes me sick!" as Popplio added, "Oui. It's like they don't even care that he's one of Tokyo's heroes too."

Once Kommo-o was close enough, she cracked her knuckles and said, "Now just stay there and take your punishment like a man," before sending an onslaught of punches toward him.

Caterpie managed to regain enough focus to block a few punches, though despite his four arms making it easy, they were so thin and hers had so much power. As such, he still wound up taking in pain. With that in mind, he leapt away from the dragon before she could take full advantage of this, breathing heavily as Metapod stared in confusion.

"Son," he uttered, "That's enough playing around. I know you don't wanna flaunt your strength too much, but this is a big competition, not a sparring match."

"Oh, he knows that very well," Kommo-o retorted as she swung her tail into the caterpillar again, "This just happens to be the best he can do."

Lycanroc got up and snapped, "COME ON, CATERPIE! YOU CAN DO IT!" the others joining in only for the dragon to sigh, "I admire your loyalty to your friend, but deep down, you know as well as I do that he has no right being here."

She then sent a kick into his ribcage as he rolled a small distance from her, the crowd now feeling sorry for him while she growled, "I'm glad I got you as my first opponent. You want to know why?"

The caterpillar slowly opened his eyes and forced himself back up while she continued, "Because you are an embarrassment to heroes everywhere! Your grandparents were amazing! And your father was pretty good back in his prime as well! But look at you! You go around thinking you're hot shit just because of your background when in reality, you're nothing but a weakling! I honestly can't believe you were chosen to replace Mapin, a member of the Mach family! And while what I saw from her was disappointing to say the least, she was better than you!"

No one had anything to say to this. Even Eevee and Popplio were having trouble finding the right response as Chespin bit his lower lip. Wishiwashi just felt sorry for the caterpillar at this point.

"I've heard about your track record," Kommo-o added, "Ever since you were deemed a hero, you have fought a total of five villains and one hero. And not only did you lose to all of them, but you lost with ease!"

"Wait, six opponents?" Wishiwashi uttered as Noivern nodded and replied, "He fought all of us back when we were working for Lugarugan. Though it hardly seems fair to bring that up."

Lycanroc nodded, clenched her fists and gritted her teeth. But just as she was about to retort to Kommo-o, her eyes widened when Caterpie grunted, "You're right."

The area went silent, those with their phones out gasping as he sighed, "I'm not gonna argue because everything you just said is one hundred percent true. I've always been the weak link of this team no matter what I've been told."

"Son?" Metapod uttered as Eevee groaned, "Okay, it's good to be honest, but is he admitting defeat?"

"No," Lycanroc replied with a calm look as the others shrugged their shoulders and hoped she was right. After all the hard work Caterpie had done, the last thing anyone wanted was to see him throw it all away.

"I would bring up how I was greatly outnumbered in my first fight," he continued, "But even if I'd only fought one of those four villains at the time, I still would have lost. I spent my life being told that I was a natural, that I didn't need to work toward greatness. But that was wrong."

Kommo-o smiled with a hint of respect but was shocked when he added, "This is why I've spent all that time since my loss to Ribombee training super hard for the day I would fight again. You may be tough, but I'm still confident that I can defeat you."

Now those recording him were doing so for a different reason. This speech alone was enough for them to lose a bit of their doubt. But even so, saying all of this was one thing. Proving it was another.

Kommo-o realized this as well as she said, "Well, it's good to know you've actually been putting in effort, but why don't you put all that money of yours where your mouth is?"

When she advanced toward the caterpillar again, he was prepared as he shot a strand of silk from his mouth and exclaimed, "STRINGSHOT!"

The dragon's eyes widened when the silk formed a muzzle around her mouth. And it did not end there as Caterpie placed a firm grip against the material and thought, 'Alright, she's bigger and probably pretty heavy, but I think I can pull this off.'

With that, he swung the string sideways and exclaimed, "STRINGSHOT SWING!" the crowd's eyes and mouths widening while Kommo-o flew sideways into the turnbuckle. Her eyes were wide with shock as she slid down the side and her shoulder hit the canvas.

Lycanroc had a big smile as she squealed, "COME ON, CATERPIE, HIT HER WHILE SHE'S DISTRACTED!" the caterpillar nodding as he leapt toward her and planted his tail into her face, pushing himself away from her to keep his distance. After all, there was no way those two moves were enough to take her down.

And as Kommo-o rose up and pried the silk off of her mouth, the area erupted with heavy cheers while Metapod stared in shock. However, his shock changed to happiness before he exclaimed, "YEAH, THAT'S MY BOY!"

The others clapped as well while Wishiwashi said, "Wow. He didn't do a whole lot, but for him to swing someone that big-"

Litwick nodded and replied, "That's quite impressive," as Noivern exclaimed, "Keep it up, Caterpie!"

While Eevee, Popplio and Chespin added their own words of support, Lycanroc folded her arms and nodded her head before flashing the caterpillar a grin. There was no doubt in her mind that he could win this match.

However, Kommo-o was not so sure as she sighed, "Well, I commend you. It seems you were telling the truth. I never would have imagined you would be able to pull off a move like that. But even so, you're a fool if you think that's all it takes to be a good fighter."

With that in mind, she proceeded to race toward Caterpie with her arm at the ready. But when she was close enough, the caterpillar leapt into the air and swung his tail into her cheek. He then used his arms to propel himself forward and ram his skull into the side of her neck, the crowd cheering even louder.

But just as he was ready to dish out more, Kommo-o ignored the pain and sent the back of her hand into his cheek. She then swung her tail into him for the third time and barked, "ANCIENT MACE!"

This caused Caterpie to cough up green blood as he fell on his side, the Peruvian side cheering while Yukiko stated, "Caterpie got quite an impressive comeback, but Kommo-o still has more than enough strength as she strikes him with her sharp and deadly tail. Let's see if the chairman's son can get the upper hand back."

Kommo-o proceeded to lift up Caterpie before hurling him into the air and leaping up toward him with the red scale on her forehead glowing. She then rammed it into his back and exclaimed, "ANCIENT DRAGON POWER!" causing him to cough up more blood while she wrapped her arms around him and drove his skull into the canvas.

The area went silent until Lycanroc gasped, "CATERPIE!" the dragon looking down at him and saying, "I'll admit, I no longer have any qualms with you. The fact that you realized your past mistakes and improved is enough. But even so, I still have a country to represent. I hope you understand."

All went silent until Yukiko nodded and said, "Sorry, Metapod, but I have to do this," the woman starting the ten count.

Before Caterpie's friends could join in, the chairman shocked everyone as he chanted, "Caterpie! Caterpie!" and soon enough, Lycanroc nodded and barked, "Caterpie! Caterpie!"

Soon enough, many members of the crowd, including those who doubted the caterpillar at first chanted his name. And once Yukiko reached eight, his eyes widened as he sprang upright, breathing heavily.

Metapod's eyes sparkled while he exclaimed, "That's right, son! Show her what months of hard work can accomplish!" the caterpillar staring briefly before nodding his head. It seemed his father finally realized where he had gone wrong over the years.

"Damn, that was close!" Chespin sighed as Wishiwashi nodded and uttered, "I just about wet myself again," the others staring at him and noticing a small bit of yellow in his water chest, the guppy chuckling, "Oops, spoke too soon."

Lycanroc took a deep breath before exclaiming, "Come on, Caterpie! You've got a good start! Now it's time to finish it!" Eevee squealing, "Yeah! You've proven that you have it in you! Now make sure it means something!"

The cheers from the crowd grew as Kommo-o grimaced and rubbed the backs of her wrists together. This caused all of her scales to vibrate until she unleashed sound waves, shouting, "CLANGING SCALES!"

Caterpie narrowly dodged them and noticed purple flames forming where the waves hit. And it only got more intense when he noticed more and more coming toward him. However, he had come too far to let himself lose now. He had to win at least one match.

With that in mind, he waited for the waves to close in before leaping high into the air, barely dodging all of them. Kommo-o gasped when he sent his string into her forehead and exclaimed, "STRINGSHOT ASTEROID!"

The dragon was unable to respond as he rammed his face between her eyes. Thus she winced in pain and fell on her back before the area erupted with cheers from all but the Peruvian fans. They simply could not believe that had been enough to knock Kommo-o down.

Lycanroc let out a loud cheer and barked, "Did you all see that!?" Chespin nodding and uttering, "That was awesome."

Yukiko started the ten count while Metapod gazed upon his son and thought, 'Wow, that reminds me of my first victory. Maybe he doesn't need me after all.'

Deep down, Caterpie did not expect this one move to be enough. After all, he had taken in far more damage than Kommo-o so far and he was still able to stand. And yet despite all of that, Yukiko still managed to reach the ten count as she rang the bell.

Caterpie stood there silently and stared at Kommo-o, the crowd just as shocked as he was when Yukiko stated, "After an intense and close match, Caterpie has won the first round of the Hero Olympics!"

Soon enough, the area erupted with heavy cheers from all but the Peruvian crowd. Caterpie let down a light tear and lifted his arms triumphantly into the air. While he had prepared hard for this, a part of him still could not believe he had won, but now that it happened, it felt amazing.

"YES!" Lycanroc exclaimed as she clapped hard, "You did it, Caterpie! You did it!" Popplio barking, "Good show, mon ami!"

However, all went silent when Kommo-o slowly opened her eyes and rose back to her feet. But rather than looking mad, she had a light smile on her face as she said, "I have to admit, I really am impressed. I didn't think someone of your stature could knock me down."

Caterpie stared when she held out her fist. He kept his gaze on it for a few seconds before pounding the tip of his arm against it, a big smile on his face. With that in mind, the Peruvian fans bowed their heads in respect to Kommo-o as she headed toward the bleachers, saying, "I look forward to seeing how you perform in round two."

Caterpie took a deep breath before turning to Metapod. The chrysalis nodded and waved his arm away from himself just to let the caterpillar know that he was now allowed to sit with his friends if he wanted to. As such, he nodded and crawled over to them.

Lycanroc grinned bright and squealed, "You were so amazing!" Caterpie nodding and replying, "Well, I probably couldn't have done that without you helping me out all this time. Now I know that I really am worthy of being on this team."

"Damn straight," Eevee replied with a grin, "I bet the next time a villain comes along, you'll kick his sorry ass."

Yukiko made sure all was calm before explaining, "Alright, everyone, the next match will be in ten minutes. This means our next two fighters won't have long to prepare themselves."

"Only ten minutes?" Noivern asked as he got up and said, "Wish me luck, guys," Litwick smiling lightly and forming a hand so she could give him a thumb up.

Lycanroc nodded as Caterpie uttered, "Oh yeah, I might actually face him in the second round. Thank god he's our friend now otherwise that would terrify me."

Scorchicken rose up as well to prepare herself. As much as Noivern wanted to advance, she was far more determined. As such, she got in just a little last minute training before putting on a cowgirl suit and thinking, 'Alright, Mom, I hope you're watching. I'm gonna make sure our name is even more well known than it already is.'

Once the ten minutes were up, Yukiko beamed and stated, "Alright, folks, the first match was certainly one to be remembered, but we still have seven more to go. And I'm sure our second match will be nothing short of amazing."

For this time, the American and Romanian fans had both been separated while everyone else sat in the middle. Wishiwashi looked back and forth and asked, "Hey, guys, why do we separate the fanbases?"

"It's so they don't start a riot," Eevee explained, "You don't wanna know what would happen if the fans of both countries being represented sat together. It would probably be more brutal than the match."

Lycanroc nodded and said, "I would sit with the Romanian fans, but I'd rather stay right here with my besties."

"And so, without further ado, let us introduce our fighters," Yukiko said as Metapod pointed at the left side and exclaimed, "In the red corner, representing Romania is a powerful bat who once served evil but now fights for the side of good! With speed, strength and the ability to fly, Noivern!"

Most of the crowd, especially the Romanian fans, went wild when Noivern flew toward the ring. He performed a few loops and tricks in the air before landing on his feet with his right wing over his face like a cape. And that only excited the crowd more.

"Yeah!" Lycanroc shouted, "Looking good, Noivern!" as Yukiko pointed to the right side and stated, "In the blue corner is America's representative! She is the daughter of Torchic and has her strength, only, well, she actually has arms! Her predecessors were all amazing and fought alongside the Mach family for generations, but can she live up to the family name!? Give it up for the new Texas Phoenix, Scorchicken!"

The American fans cheered as an epic melody started to play in the background. The chicken then raced into the area. She performed various flips with her feet and hands on fire before leaping into the air and landing on the mat, spreading her arms out. She then took off her cowgirl hat and tossed them toward the American crowd as a little girl caught it, a big smile on her face when she put it on and whistled to Scorchicken.

Noivern blinked and nodded, saying, "Nicely done. I actually kinda regret not bringing a real cape," as the chicken chuckled and replied, "I think the thing you did with your wing was a nice touch, honestly."

"Well, she seems civil," Wishiwashi stated before Eevee replied, "I'd expect nothing less from a Torch. Though I have heard her grandma had a foul temper at first."

With that, both fighters stood on separate sides of the ring. Could Noivern win the match or would Scorchicken prove too tough? Only time would tell.


	43. Chapter 43

Noivern and Scorchicken both held up fighting stances as they were more than prepared for their match. And thus Metapod nodded and Yukiko rang the bell, signalling the start.

Scorchicken immediately raced toward Noivern only for the bat to take to the sky, sending the heels of his feet into her skull. This sent her flying backward before he soared toward her.

But just as his feet were about to make contact with the skull a second time, Scorchicken was ready as she lifted her up arms and grabbed his ankles. She then lifted herself up and lit her feet on fire, shouting, "BLAZE KICK!" sending her feet into Noivern's gut, sending him into the canvas.

The American crowd went wild while Yukiko exclaimed, "Noivern seemed to be off to a good start, but Scorchicken retaliates with that old Torch family favourite!"

Metapod nodded and added, "And it's a good thing she did that instead of trying to slam Noivern into the mat. After all, Torches can't use slam moves without putting a serious strain on themselves."

Scorchicken did not end her attack as she landed on the bat's chest and sent rapid kicks into him. Caterpie blinked and said, "Impressive how she was able to work around a weakness like that."

Chespin folded his arms and said, "Yeah, Noivern's gonna have a tough time. I can already tell," as Eevee squeaked, "Come on, man! You're better than this!"

The bat nodded and took hold of Scorchicken's ankles. Before she could attempt to free herself, he rose up and threw her into the air in a way that caused her to flip vertically. He then proceeded to fly up to her level and latch his feet to her ankles, descending toward the canvas and shouting, "MOONLIGHT DROP!"

The Romanian crowd went wild when the back of Scorchicken's head made contact with the mat. Noivern then dragged her forward and rammed her entire front side into the turnbuckle, releasing his hold on her and allowing her to collapse.

"That's the guy who gave me such a hard time," Eevee said with a grin as Chespin sighed, "You say that like it was a good thing."

Litwick simply had a light smile while Lycanroc sighed, "I had no doubt he'd be able to get around that," before shouting, "Way to go, man!"

When Scorchicken pushed herself back up, Noivern folded his wings and stated, "It's impressive how easily you managed to knock me down. But it'll take a lot more than that to defeat me."

The chicken smirked and remarked, "I can see that," as Yukiko said, "And Noivern once again proves himself a force to be reckoned with, but it seems Scorchicken still has plenty of fight in her."

Noivern took to the sky and flew toward Scorchicken again. She waited for him to get close before lighting her fist on fire. But just as she was about to send it forward, the bat flew a bit higher and landed behind her. And with that, he wrapped his wings around her and leapt into the air, leaning backward and aiming the back of her head toward the turnbuckle.

The Romanian crowd along with Noivern's friends were only more excited as Eevee squealed, "I remember this! Scorchicken's in trouble now!"

But just as it looked like the chicken would take in even more pain, she suddenly tilted her head back just far enough for her beak to face the pole. She then lit it on fire and exclaimed, "FIRE PECK!"

The crowd gasped as this somehow gave her beak just enough might to cushion the blow. As such, her face took in a little bit of pain, but nowhere near as much as it would have before. And this threw Noivern off guard, thus he loosened his hold and allowed Scorchicken to spin her body around while her hands and feet were all ignited, shouting, "BLAZE TWISTER!"

All four parts grazed the bat as he cried out in pain, falling on his back once more. And of course, the chicken would not let this advantage go while she sent a drop kick into his pelvis. With him distracted, she leapt backward and latched her arms and ankles to the ends of his right wing, shouting, "TORCH FAMILY SPECIAL!"

The American fans went wild as Popplio said, "I have to admit, that was tres impressionnant."

Eevee frowned while Yukiko exclaimed, "And there's another Torch family favourite, the Torch Family Special! Though it's funny how so far, Scorchicken is the only one to actually say its name."

Metapod nodded and replied, "Yeah. For a long time, many a fight fan wondered if it even had a name and why only members of her family ever used it."

Noivern cried out in pain as Scorchicken used her body to twist his arm, Eevee squeaking, "Come on, Noivern! You countered me when I did something similar!"

"Oui, but this is stronger than the move you used," Popplio replied with his eyes narrowed, "What you used on him was a basic arm lock. Not only is she applying a more firm grip, but by twisting his arm, she's adding to its power."

It got even worse for the bat when Scorchicken said, "Now to try a little something Mom came up with to make up for her lack of arms," opening her beak and clamping it down on his fingers. She then pulled back on them to add to the pain even further, Noivern thinking, 'My god! How is this so painful!? I can usually handle submission holds! And the way she's expertly positioned herself on top of my wing so she can use all of her body instead of just her arms is incredible.'

However, he gritted his teeth as his mind added, 'No, I can handle this!' lifting up his arm while the crowd winced at the sound of his bones cracking. Even so, he ignored this and sent his arm downward, planting Scorchicken's side into the mat and causing her to release her hold.

The Romanian fans looked relieved as Noivern rose back to his feet and waved his arm up and down. Once he had all feeling back, he smiled lightly since it did not seem the pain was bad enough to hinder his flight. Thus he took to the air while Eevee beamed bright.

"I knew it!" she squealed, "I just knew he could get out of that!" as Lycanroc nodded and replied, "Yeah. I never doubted him for a second. He's really tough, just like all of us."

Litwick nodded while Chespin sighed, "Even so, he's got a way to go if he's gonna win this match. It's really strange. I only raced her and took down one opponent with her and yet I can just tell she's got a spirit that matches yours, Eevee."

The fox blinked before Popplio replied, "Even so, Noivern's fighting spirit is nothing to scoff at either. I'm sure he can turn this around."

It seemed as if this might be the case when Noivern flew toward Scorchicken only to fly over her again. But rather than grappling her, he sent a kick into her back and pushed himself away from her. Afterwards, he flipped himself around so he was facing her and rammed his right wing into the back of her neck, shouting, "BAT WING SICKLE!"

The Romanian fans cheered as Scorchicken gasped in pain, falling on her chin. However, after hitting her, Noivern felt a light stinging sensation in his wing. Thus he gritted his teeth and thought, 'Okay, maybe I should just rely on my left wing for attacks.'

Unfortunately for him, Scorchicken could see this as she smirked and thought, 'Good. My Torch Family special took a toll on him,' before used her hands to flip herself over. Thus she flew toward the bat from behind with her legs out only for him to see this coming as he flew slightly higher into the air and sent his feet downward into her gut.

Eevee breathed a sigh of relief while Scorchicken careened into the mat. She then folded her arms behind her head and said, "Looks like Noivern's got the advantage back. Maybe we don't have anything to worry about."

"Don't forget how many times the tides turned in your matches," Popplio replied as the fox groaned, "Oh yeah. That does happen a lot, doesn't it?"

"I still think he can win," Litwick said before Lycanroc nodded and added, "Yeah. That Scorchicken may be tough, but Noivern's got her on the ropes now."

It seemed as if this could very well last longer when Noivern flapped down and took hold of the chicken's ankles. He then lifted her into the air with the intent of using his Moonlight Drop again. But just as he was about to reach the height he wanted, his right wing once again started to sting as he winced in pain, releasing his hold and allowing Scorchicken to fall.

Everyone stared while Wishiwashi uttered, "What the hull just happened?" everyone else too distracted to care about how uninspired that pun was.

And sure enough, Scorchicken knew she could finally take advantage of Noivern for good as she threw her arms down to stop her head from making contact with the canvas. She then propelled herself high into the air and lit her feet on fire, shouting, "BLAZE KICK ROCKET!"

The American fans went wild when her feet made contact with Noivern's heels, causing him to flip ninety degrees so now his back was exposed. Thus the feet hit that as well and the bat flew high into the air. To make matters worse, he was currently too spellbound to flap his wings and stop his descent.

Seeing an opportunity, Scorchicken took a deep breath and thought, 'Much like Metapod said, it's not a good idea for someone from my family to use a move like this. But there's no way I'm passing up this chance.'

And once Noivern was low enough, she flipped herself so her belly was facing his back and wrapped her arms around him, lighting her body on fire. She then flipped both her and the bat upside-down and exclaimed, "ASTEROID SUPLEX!"

The crowd stared in shock while Noivern's skull hit the mat hard. And as Scorchicken released her hold and allowed him to collapse, she breathed heavily and smiled lightly, thinking, 'There, that oughta be it. But in all fairness, he did put up a good fight.'

Eevee stared in shock while the others had no idea how to react to this. The match had only gone for a little over seven minutes and it already looked like it was over.

"Wow, there's a move that hasn't been seen in forever!" Metapod exclaimed as Yukiko started the ten count, "Asteroid Suplex was a move that Blaziken once used on Onix. Though it's gone on record that she never used it again due to the massive strain it put on her, and it seems to have taken a bit of a toll on Scorchicken as well. Let's just hope that was enough to end the match."

But once Yukiko reached seven seconds, Noivern's eyes shot wide open as he propelled himself up and planted his feet into Scorchicken's back. While she fell forward, the Romanian fans went wild as the chrysalis added, "And he's back up, folks! It truly looked like that was it for Noivern, but he's still up and raring to go!"

"Yeah!" Lycanroc yelled with glee, "Of course that wasn't enough to finish him off!" Litwick squeaking, "Look!"

The others soon saw what she meant as Noivern tried to take to the sky again only to cry out in pain. All went silent while he held onto his right arm, trying his hardest to ignore the pain but having a much harder time doing so. Not only was Scorchicken's attack insanely powerful, but using that arm to push himself up made him feel weak.

Seeing this, the chicken pushed herself back up to her feet and smirked, saying, "I knew it. All the pain I dealt to your wing earlier has taken a serious toll on you. Not only that, but you've been using that wing a lot since then as opposed to giving it time to rest. I may have made a rash decision using Asteroid Suplex, but you're much weaker than I am right now."

Noivern narrowed his eyelids and growled, "No. It's fine. I can still-" the bat trying to fly again only to cry out in pain, this time falling on his side as he weakly pushed himself back up.

Eevee gulped and uttered, "Guys, I'm starting to think maybe Noivern should give up," Lycanroc sighing, "I hate to say it, but you're right. For as long as I've known him, Noivern can't fight very well on the ground. All of his moves involve him flying."

Caterpie trembled and uttered, "So he really doesn't have any special surprise tactics for land-based combat? Oh man, this is not looking good."

Litwick let out a sigh as even she felt like this might be the best option. Besides, it was not as if this was a good versus evil struggle, so no lives were on the line. With that in mind, she put on a serious look and squeaked, "Noivern!"

The bat turned to her as she added, "Look, Noivern, you've done your best! You've done a good job! But this isn't worth it! If you give up, it's okay! We won't think any less of you!"

Scorchicken and Umbreon were both shocked while Crabrawler said, "Wow, she's a good friend, isn't she?" Eevee adding, "She's right! You need to get your wing checked!"

Even the Romanian fans had started to agree as Scorchicken sighed, "Well, it would be disappointing to win by default, but your friends have a point. Besides, I admire your spirit. I'm glad to have had someone so good as my first opponent."

Noivern considered it as Lycanroc nodded. However, after a few seconds, he took a deep breath and grunted, "No. I want to see this match to the bitter end. As long as I can still fight, I'll do my best," as Scorchicken smiled and replied, "Well then, guess I'll continue to give it my all."

"Oh my Cthulhu!" Wishiwashi cried before Caterpie sighed, "Well, you gotta hand it to him. He really does have as much spirit as you said, Popplio."

"Oui," the seal sighed, "That's the thing with the Hero Olympics. Even though none of the fights are between good and evil, they're still a big deal. Most heroes would never give up, not after coming this far, even if it means spending a week in the hospital."

With that in mind, Scorchicken leapt backward into the ropes, stretching them back as her feet burst into flame once more. Noivern, seeing no other options, took a deep breath and exclaimed, "BOOMBURST!" releasing sound waves from his ears.

However, the chicken was more than prepared for this when she launched herself off, passing by the waves before they could explode. Her flames them combined together to form a phoenix head as she shouted, "ROARING PHOENIX!"

All went silent when Noivern took the hard kick to his gut, coughing up blood. His eyes then rolled to the back of his head while he fell hard on his back, Metapod exclaiming, "And with a move invented by Blaziken, Scorchicken has knocked Noivern down once more!"

Yukiko started the ten count for the second time as everyone stared. Umbreon now hoped even more that she might get a crack at the chicken at some point as Caterpie could not help but wonder if he could possibly defeat her. After all, as much as he wanted to have faith in Noivern, it truly did look like it was over.

And in the end, this was certainly so when Yukiko reached ten seconds and rang the bell, stating, "And after a very brutal match, Noivern is down for the count as Scorchicken advances to round two!"

The American crowd went wild while Lycanroc got up from the bleachers and ran toward the ring. Caterpie nodded and did the same as soon enough, everyone else followed.

Scorchicken took a deep breath and folded her arms, thinking, 'Well, Noivern, you got a nice set of friends,' a part of her feeling a touch guilty for using so much force. But even so, with the match over, she figured she would give the others space and backed up to the edge of the ring.

"Come on, man, speak to me!" Caterpie gasped before hearing light breathing. Noivern's eyes were now closed as he seemed to be resting, Litwick biting her lower lip and scolding, "You stupid head. It's not like you were fighting a villain or anything."

Chespin patted her on the shoulder and said, "Don't worry, he'll be fine. He's tough, remember?" the candle nodding and sighing when medics rushed into the area to load Noivern up onto a stretcher.

Seeing this, Litwick asked, "Would it be okay if I go with him to the hospital?" Lycanroc nodding and replying, "Yeah. He'll need someone to keep him company," the candle giving a light smile and heading off with the medics.

For some strange reason, Chespin felt tempted to head off with her as he said, "Hey, I'm not competing either. I'll join you," Wishiwashi staring and uttering, "What the hull?"

Eevee turned to him briefly before uttering, "I thought you referred to Hell as Davy Jones' Locker," the guppy laughing nervously.

Metapod blinked as Yukiko nudged him, the chrysalis nodding and stating, "Well, folks, that concludes the second match. Therefor you are all free to enjoy an hour-long break, but during that time, we will relocate to here," showing everyone a big map with a red dot showing the next location, specifically a local theatre.

"Oh, how fitting for my first match in Tokyo," Lurantis said with a smile as she covered her mouth with her right arm and exited the area, Popplio nodding and saying, "Well, I best head off."

Eevee beamed and replied, "Yeah. I just know you'll kick her ass," before everyone soon exited the area. They knew Noivern would not want his loss to distract them, so they would make sure they all at least made it past the first round.

Scorchicken, meanwhile, exited the area and thought, 'Well, Mom, I made it to round two. Soon enough, that championship belt will be ours.'

After ten minutes, everyone arrived at the theatre in question. But since this was a live theatre and not one for films, there were no snacks in the lobby. As such, everyone headed straight to the stage area where the seats already provided replaced the bleachers. But of course, all three types of audiences were still separated with Popplio's supporters in the top rows, Lurantis' in the middle and the rest sitting in the lower rows.

"You know, it feels weird coming here and not dressing up," Eevee uttered, "How are they gonna fight here, anyway?" Caterpie pointing at the stage and replying, "Like that."

Soon enough, everyone saw it. Right atop the stage was the wrestling ring, and luckily, the stage was big enough to hold it. Needless to say, this would certainly be interesting to say the least.

All the while, Popplio and Lurantis were both preparing in the dressing rooms. The seal took a deep breath and thought, 'Alright, Mama, I hope you enjoy this little performance. It's not my typical clown act, but it should still be entertaining.'

Though most of all, he really wanted to win at least one match in front of her. Perhaps he could even blast his way to the finals and fight Eevee. That would have been truly amazing, but for the time being, he would focus on defeating Lurantis.


	44. Chapter 44

Everyone was restless because it was just about time for the match to start. Metapod and Yukiko had both dressed up in traditional theatre garbs as the chrysalis stated, "Greetings, one and all! Today, we have witnessed two incredible matches, but we are about to see even more! We have another one of Tokyo's heroes up against a promising star!"

Yukiko nodded and pointed to the left, saying in an over-dramatic tone, "In the red corner is a very entertaining seal from the circus. But he is not to be taken lightly as he can also be deadly in combat!"

"Don't I know it?" Wishiwashi uttered as the woman continued, "Hailing from France, he is full of energy and power! Give it up for Popplio!"

Everyone watched when a light shone on Popplio. He was dressed in a samurai outfit with a large fish strapped to his back like a giant sword. Eevee blushed lightly at the sight of this as Lycanroc and Caterpie gave her odd looks. Thus she cleared her throat and reverted to a more normal look.

Wishiwashi, meanwhile, blinked and uttered, "Thank god I don't know any normal fish personally, otherwise this would make me really uncomfortable," the others looking relieved. The last thing they wanted was for their friend to have a panic attack all because of Popplio's entrance.

The seal casually headed into the ring before bowing down, his mother watching from the top row and gasping, "He looks tres chic! So dignified!" before waving happily, the seal noticing this and smiling.

He then stood tall and proud on his tail fin and removed his outfit along with the fish. He tossed it toward the crowd as Caterpie and Lycanroc caught it, both staring in stunned silence. However, after a few seconds, Lycanroc exclaimed, "Thanks, Popplio!" before digging into it, Caterpie shrugging his shoulders and giving it a sample, saying, "Wow, he actually cooked and seasoned it. He really thought this through."

After the seal took a bow, Yukiko clapped and exclaimed, "What a fitting entrance for this type of setting, folks! But we still got one more!" Metapod nodding and adding, "In the blue corner is a beautiful but deadly mantis who has come to us from China. With grace and dignity only fitting of a theatre setting, it is my pleasure to introduce Lurantis!"

The Chinese crowd watched silently with big smiles when a middle-aged man banged on a big drum. Like with Popplio, a light shone by the left entrance, only this time, cherry blossom petals were dropped by a young woman from high up as Lurantis entered the area with her eyes closed and her right arm over her face.

She truly was a sight to behold as her torso and the top half of her head were pink, the lower half being white. She had lovely red eyes and green antennae with a matching lump between them that resembled a jade. She had two hair-like extensions on the sides of her head and two that resembled ears with red tips on top. She also had short extensions around her waist that looked like the sides of a tutu and a green abdomen underneath. She had slender white arms with large red scythes for hands with green claws that went all the way down to her feet. Her legs looked more like dress pants with pink and red stripes along them, her feet looking exactly like her claws. And to top it off, she had four wing-like appendages coming out of her back that formed the shape of a giant shuriken.

She tip-toed delicately toward the ring as even Popplio's supporters in Japan could not help but feel entranced. And once she entered the ring, she cupped her wrists together with her scythes pointed downward and bowed her head.

"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance," she said with a light smile, "Though I have to admit, your performance earlier could have used some work."

Popplio blinked while she added, "I mean, the outfit was a nice idea, but why not use a sword instead of a fish? Were you not the least bit concerned that such a thing would result in the outfit smelling awful? After all, that food product was touching it the whole time, was it not?"

Popplio lowered his eyelids and thought, 'Is that really important?' Caterpie saying, "She has a point, Popplio. Though the fish is delicious, so I can't complain," Eevee having had a few bites herself as she gave him a thumb up.

The seal smiled lightly at them until Lurantis sighed, "Of course the chairman's son is the only one with some understanding of where I'm coming from. Oh well, I still appreciate the effort to bring some class into this. I'm surprised you even came close to pulling it off, considering your appearance."

Popplio bit his lower lip and tried his hardest not to let this get to him as Eevee frowned and snapped, "KICK HER ASS INTO NEXT WEEK!" Lycanroc nodding and growling.

"Such foul language," Lurantis sighed, "It must be awful associating yourself with them," only for Popplio to retort, "For your information, I love having them as mes amies and allies."

The mantis shrugged her shoulders and stood on her own side of the ring, Yukiko saying, "Well, the combatants are set. Let us begin," before ringing the bell.

Popplio had a feeling it would be easy to lure Lurantis into a false sense of security as he bowed gracefully to her and said, "Apres vous, Madame," the mantis smiling lightly and replying, "How thoughtful."

With that in mind, she proceeded to race toward the seal with her arms at the ready. But just as Popplio leapt upward to counter, it seemed as if the mantis had expected this. Thus she leapt up to his height, sent her scythes downward and clawed open his chest. While this did not quite cut him open, it had left rather big bruises as he gasped and fell on his back.

The Chinese fans cheered while she landed and planted her claws into his midsection. Now she had truly managed to draw blood as she smirked and quipped, "You didn't think I was that stupid, did you? I could tell right off the bat that you were planning to lower my guard. Unfortunately for you, I've faced many opponents who rely on the same tactic. It's nothing special."

She then lifted him up with her claws still lodged in his flesh and leapt into the air. She then leaned backward and exclaimed, "GRASSHOPPER SUPLEX!" planting the back of his head into the canvas.

The French crowd gasped as Eevee squeaked, "POPPLIO!" the others equally concerned. With how delicate she looked, they did not expect Lurantis to be this much of a threat. And yet just from these three moves, they could tell she was not to be taken lightly.

Lurantis removed her claws from Popplio and allowed him to collapse as she licked the blood off of her claws. Many in the crowd stared in horror while she said, "Oh, don't worry. I'm not psychotic or anything. I just prefer to have my hands clean is all."

"Okay, she scares me," Eevee groaned as Wishiwashi sighed, "So it's not just me. Thank Cthulhu."

Either way, Popplio would not let this get him down as he pushed himself back to his feet. He breathed heavily and thought, 'Sacre bleu! She's barely hit me at all and yet I feel so weak! Not even Lugarugan was this tough!'

"Oh, I love that look on your face," Lurantis said with a light smile, "You didn't think I'd be so strong, did you? Well, with arms like mine, I shouldn't be, but these big forearms of mine increase the strength of my attacks ten-fold. So something as simple as a karate chop could send a normal person to the hospital. Want to see proof?"

She then winked at the seal as he tensed up and trembled. Words could not describe the terror filling his veins right now. He had faced many a powerful adversary, and yet even Turtonator with his incredible strength and flaming tongue looked like a walk in the park by comparison.

"Oh no," Eevee groaned, "I've never seen him like this before," as Lycanroc nodded and added, "Yeah, I'm a little concerned. It's not like him to be this scared."

With that in mind, the fox rose up from her seat and snapped, "Come on, Popplio, don't let that Prima Donna scare you! You've stood up to far worse than her over the past! This is nothing!"

The seal sported a more serious look and nodded as Primarina turned toward Eevee with admiration. She then smiled and thought, 'That's the nice fox Popplio always tells moi about. She seems like a tres bon ami for mon fils.'

With Popplio's confidence back, he took a deep breath and said, "So you've got some impressive skills. No matter. This match is far from over."

Lurantis narrowed her eyelids and thought, 'Oh, it's not far at all,' as she folded her arms and raced toward him, shouting, "X SCYTHE!"

But just as she was about to strike Popplio, he smirked and slid toward her. And with her legs unprotected, she was unable to respond when he exclaimed, "SEAL WATERSLIDE!" striking her hard in the ankles.

Her eyes widened as he flew into the air. Thus Popplio took full advantage of this and leapt up toward the mantis, wrapping his flippers around her. But just as he was about to lean back and connect a suplex of his own, his eyes and mouth widened with terror when Lurantis' wing-like appendages started to spin, releasing cherry blossom petals and putting big cuts on the seal's flippers.

Thus he cried out in pain and released his hold as Lurantis shouted, "SAKURA PINWHEEL!" wind emanating from it and sending the seal's back into the canvas. And it only got worse when the mantis shifted her body upright and lifted her arms up, once again planting her claws into Popplio.

The Chinese fans cheered wildly as Yukiko stated, "And just as it looks like Popplio gets the advantage, Lurantis continues her relentless onslaught by putting more open wounds in his flesh. Let's see if Tokyo's second-best hero can get out of this."

"OH NON!" Primarina gasped, clasping onto her cheeks as Popplio looked up at her weakly. He wanted to prove that he really was worthy of being a hero, and right now, he was not doing a good job.

But of course, everyone else was just as worried while Lycanroc whimpered, "Can he get out of this? I don't think he's ever faced anyone this challenging before," Caterpie nodding and uttering, "Yeah. I hate to say it, but Lurantis might just win."

However, Eevee refused to believe it as she barked, "Come on, Popplio! There's gotta be a way out of this! You taught me to always think logically in situations like these!"

The seal's eyes widened while Lurantis smirked and lifted him up once more, saying, "How cute. I can see why you admire your friends so much. They actually believe you can still turn this around."

However, Popplio refused to let this get to him as he ignored the pain and shifted his tail backward. Before the mantis could respond, he sent it hard into her shin, causing her to wince in pain. She then released her hold and dropped her guard as the seal stood up on the tip of his tail and proceeded to spin around with his flippers out.

"CIRCUS COPTER!" he barked before sending multiple slaps into Lurantis' cheek. The French fans went wild as she leapt away from him, rubbing the very spot he had hit and scowling angrily at him.

"Is there a mark on my face!?" she grunted before Popplio blinked and noticed a red spot left behind by his slaps. Thus he shrugged and replied, "Oui, but how does that surprise you?"

Lurantis' anger grew until she took a deep breath and said in a creepily calm tone, "You just ruined my complexion. You'll soon find out the consequences for such an unspeakable act," as Eevee uttered, "She does know possible face injuries come with the job, right?"

It seemed this was not the case when the mantis crossed her arms and raced toward Popplio again. But just as he was about to attempt his water slide technique again, Lurantis leapt up into the air and flipped backward, her appendages pointed right at him while she shouted, "SAKURA PINWHEEL!"

Once again, a hard gust of wind came from her back as the appendages spun. However, all but the Chinese fans were shocked when a small twister formed under Popplio and sent him flying into the air. Afterwards, Lurantis leapt up to his level with her arms raised, only this time, her scythes glowed green as what looked like a sword handle made of energy formed between them.

"Here it comes!" a Chinese man exclaimed as a woman added, "Yeah! She's using her best move!" Eevee and the others really hoping Popplio could find a way around this.

"FILS!" Primarina gasped as Lurantis exclaimed, "SOLAR BLADE!"

With that, she drove both of her claws into Popplio's gut as he coughed up blood and fell toward the canvas with her. And soon enough, his back made contact and the area went silent, Lurantis removing her claws with a light smile on her face.

Primarina tensed up and whimpered, "Popplio?" Eevee's jaw dropped as Caterpie, Lycanroc and Wishiwashi held one-another. There was no way it was already over, was it?

"And with a very powerful strike from her claws, Lurantis knocks Popplio down once again, and this time, possibly for the count," Metapod stated as Yukiko nodded and started the ten count.

The Chinese fans went wild while Lurantis folded her arms and sighed, "I'll admit, it is impressive that you managed to hit me at all, but in the end, you never stood a chance. You francophones may not be the cowards people say you are, but honestly, you would have been better off surrendering."

As Yukiko reached five, Popplio gritted his teeth and used his tail to propel himself into the air. Lurantis gasped while the seal's friends and the French crowd cheered wildly.

Before the mantis could retaliate, Popplio exclaimed, "BOUNCING BALL STRIKE!" and sent his tail hard into her forehead. This cause her to fall on her back as Primarina let down a light tear and clapped her flippers, squealing, "Tres magnifique! That'll teach her to insult a member of the Cachet family!"

Lurantis gasped and rolled away from Popplio when he aimed his tail at her gut. But even though she barely dodged, she could see a great ferocity in the seal's eyes as he breathed heavily and glared daggers at her.

"You know, ever since this match began, you have not only been full of yourself but also extremely rude!" he barked, "Just because you're a hero doesn't mean you can be a grade-A putain!"

The French fans gasped as Lurantis held her left arm up to her mouth and retorted, "Are you seriously comparing me to that mixture of fries, gravy and cheese?" Popplio sighing, "Non. Putain is French for bitch."

At that moment, the mantis' eyes and mouth widened with shock. She had never been called that by anyone before. And needless to say, it made her really mad as she frowned and raced toward Popplio one more time with her scythes folded.

"X SCYTHE!" she spat as Popplio rolled up into a ball and barked, "CIRCUS BALL!" heading straight into her scythes. And after a few seconds, despite having taken in much more pain up to this point, Popplio was still able to overpower Lurantis and send her skidding backwards along the mat. And with her arms now spread out, he managed to ram into her gut as she coughed up blood and leapt away from him.

"YEAH, THAT'S THE POPPLIO I KNOW!" Eevee squealed while the others cheered wildly, Yukiko saying, "After taking in nothing but torment, Popplio gets the upper hand with his circus tricks."

Primarina gave her son a round of applause and thought, 'Sensationnel! Tres magnifique! I never knew fights could be just as entertaining as circus acts!'

Lurantis tried to keep up a calm composure, but at this point, it was difficult as Popplio retracted to a normal state and said, "I knew it. While your forearms are tough, the rest of your body is just as weak as it looks. As such, you can dish out a lot of pain, but you can't handle it, non?"

The mantis' eyes widened with terror. As much as it pained her to admit it, the seal was right. This was why she had counted on Popplio falling for all of her tactics, because she knew that if she took in enough pain, she would not be able to keep fighting like she had been so far.

Even so, she narrowed her eyelids and growled, "So what? This match is still mine!" as she leapt into the air and turned her body around, exclaiming, "SAKURA PINWHEEL!"

But when she released her wind once more, Popplio knew exactly what was coming and thus curled his tail like a spring and launched himself into the air. He then reverted back to normal and aimed his skull toward the back of Lurantis' head, his flippers against his side as he exclaimed, "CIRCUS MISSILE!"

The mantis was unable to react since he was moving just fast enough to overpower her wind. And thus he rammed hard into the very spot he had aimed for. With that, Lurantis gasped and fell forward, her chin hitting the canvas hard as the rest of her body soon followed.

The French fans went wild while Eevee squealed, "Yeah! He did it!" Yukiko starting the ten count as the Chinese fans watched with concern.

Primarina let down a light tear and thought, 'I am so proud of you, Popplio. You really are incroyable.'

Soon enough, Yukiko reached ten seconds and rang the bell, shouting, "It was close, but in the end, Popplio is our winner!" the French fans along with his Japanese supporters going wild. Caterpie and Lycanroc hugged one-another while Wishiwashi sighed, "There's the powerhouse who gave me a swim for my sand dollars."

Metapod smiled and said, "That was certainly an exciting match, but don't forget, we still have another one before we change locations. And just like before, we'll be taking a ten minute recess, or rather intermission, before we begin. If anyone would like to use the washroom, now's the time."

With that in mind, Umbreon patted Crabrawler on the shoulder as he nodded and rose from his seat. After all, he was next and he needed to be ready for this. And of course, his opponent, Bewear, also rose up from his own seat to get ready.

As the black fox watched her partner head off, she folded her arms and thought, 'I have faith in you, Crabrawler. You always come close to failure, but you always win. Keep that up today, alright?'

Eevee watched this and smiled, saying, "I hope Crabrawler wins," as Popplio took a seat next to her and asked, "How come?"

The fox shrugged and replied, "We both kinda helped each other make it this far. It'd be cool to see him as your next opponent instead of another stranger, right?" the seal nodding in understanding.

Crabrawler moved to a changing area to prepare himself, thinking, 'That's right. I'm gonna do our family proud. Even if I don't win the tournament, I want to at least face Umbreon at some point. Now wouldn't that be amazing?'


	45. Chapter 45

The ten minutes had passed as it was finally time for Crabrawler's match. And since he was a member of the Adair family, his was one of the most highly anticipated matches. After all, while Jackalu had only made it to round two, his father, Lucario was the world champion back in his prime and his grandfather, Riolu, won the Hero Olympics three times in a row. No one even cared that the newest generation was not a dog like all the others. They all expected great things from him.

All the while, Clawitzer and Jackalu sat in the middle row with the other British fans as the dog wagged his tail and exclaimed, "This is so exciting! Our boy's gonna kick so much tail again!" Clawitzer nodding and handing him a bag of popcorn. Thus his eyes sparkled while he immediately dove into it, saying, "Thank you, honey."

All the while, Umbreon was the most focused since she wanted to see Crabrawler win more than even his parents did. He was her partner and she would have loved for a chance to face him in the finals.

With the crowd's excitement high, Metapod tapped the microphone and stated, "Alright, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, it's finally time for the forth match of the Hero Olympics! It's been super exciting so far, but let's just see how much better it'll get!"

Yukiko nodded and pointed to the right, stating, "In the red corner, hailing from England is the heir the Adair family! And while he isn't quite like those before him, he still shows amazing promise with a perfect track record just like his ally in Osaka! Sure to shock and amaze all of us, Crabrawler!"

The British fans along with every member of the crowd who was not on Bewear's side cheered wildly when Crabrawler appeared from a puff of smoke. Many were amazed as he had a leather jacket on, his antennae died black to represent spiky hair. Umbreon had to admit she was intrigued while he made his way down the runway and entered the ring.

He then threw his jacket off and rose his arms in the air, the crowd's excitement rising as Umbreon nodded and thought, 'That has to be his most intimidating entrance yet. He's showing more spirit than ever before. I'm impressed.'

However, she was shocked when she noticed Eevee and her friends cheering, the brown fox squealing, "You look so cool, Crabrawler! You're gonna kick so much ass!"

The crab turned to her and chuckled before thinking, 'Yeah. I was nervous before, but I have a feeling this'll be my best match to date. Up until now, none of my victories have felt truly earned, but that's gonna change today.'

"And in the blue corner," Metapod announced, "He was born and raised right here in Japan, and while he may have an adorable exterior, he has a deadly, vicious side underneath! With incredible strength, it is my pleasure to introduce Bewear!"

For some reason, very few Japanese viewers had moved to the top row as many of them actually wanted to see Crabrawler win. But even so, many of them still gave a round of applause to be polite but stopped when they heard upbeat J-pop music in the background. And it only got weirder when Bewear skipped merrily toward the ring with a big smile on his face and a balloon in his hand.

Bewear himself was a rather odd specimen. He looked just like a big teddy bear with a pink head and a white muzzle. Along the front side of his head was white fur in the shape of a headband with two tufts on each side that resembled ears. His entire front side was black while his back matched his head. But the strangest thing of all was that his tail was that of a raccoon as opposed to what one would expect from a bear.

Crabrawler stared as Bewear smiled and held out his balloon, saying, "Hello. It's very nice to meet you. I hope we can have a nice, fun match but still be friends when it's all over."

At that moment, hearts formed in place of the eyes of every teenaged girl in the audience, all of them letting out a collective, "Aw!" And while Crabrawler found this strange, he smiled lightly and reached for the balloon.

But just as he was about to grab it by the string, Bewear smirked and lashed out a claw from under his fur, popping the object right in the crab's face. Now the audience feared him while he smirked wickedly and said, "That's gonna be your face soon enough."

"Wow, that was unexpected," Caterpie uttered as Lycanroc asked, "He can talk?"

Umbreon, all the while, folded her arms and thought, 'Don't let that intimidate you, Crabrawler. You had so much spirit when you entered the ring. Don't lose it,' the crab trembling briefly until he took a deep breath and retorted, "No, that's gonna be you! I can guarantee it!"

The British crowd was more excited as Jackalu barked, "Yeah! You tell him, lad! No one messes with an Adair and gets away with it!"

Umbreon breathed a sigh of relief, but kept it light enough so no one could hear it. And with that, both fighters stood on separate sides of the ring while Bewear gave Crabrawler a menacing look. Needless to say, the crab could not underestimate such an opponent.

"Well, folks, both fighters are more than ready for this," Yukiko stated, "So without further ado, let us begin," as she rang the bell.

Before Crabrawler could even make a move, his eyes widened when Bewear raced toward him. The crab could not even react as the bear leapt toward him and sent his knee into his face. And it did not end there when he lashed out his claws, the crowd fascinated now as a dark aura surrounded them. This allowed Bewear to curl his claws inward just like fists.

"KERATIN KNUCKLE!" he shouted before sending an onslaught of punches into Crabrawler's face, the crowd staring in horror while Eevee uttered, "Damn. And I thought he was scary before."

Crabrawler's face already had a few bruises on it as he groaned and sent a palm toward Bewear's face. Unfortunately, Bewear saw this coming a mile away and shifted his head to the side, reverting his claws to normal and piercing the crab's shoulders.

Umbreon could not hide her concern when Bewear smirked and rammed his forehead into Crabrawler's face. But just as he was about to do more, the crab frowned and lifted up his arms, taking hold of the bear's. Bewear looked shocked as he received the same move he had just used to his chin.

The crowd cheered while the bear backed up, giving Crabrawler a chance to deliver an onslaught of palm punches while shouting, "FORCE PALM!" Jackalu clapping and shouting, "YEAH! WAY TO GO, SONNY BOY! SHOW HIM THE MIGHT OF MY FAMILY'S GREATEST TALENTS!"

Clawitzer nodded as Lycanroc said, "It's amazing how often these look like they're gonna be one-sided, isn't it?"

But while Crabrawler had gotten the upper hand, he felt strange. Much like every other time he used one of these tactics, he felt himself exert more energy than he should have. As such, his assault started to slow down, and Bewear could see this as he grinned wickedly and blocked the incoming palms. He then used them as leverage to lift himself up and plant his feet into the crab's gut.

Crabrawler took a few deep breaths before regaining his composure, Bewear smirking and thinking, 'I see now! I know exactly how to defeat you!'

As such, he lashed out his claws again and raced toward the crab, shouting, "Just try and hit me again!"

However, Umbreon could see something off right away as she exclaimed, "His form is sloppier than before! Take advantage of that!" Crabrawler nodding before he lifted his arm up and shouted, "CRABHAMMER!" sending his fist into the bear's head.

This seemed to put a slight strain on his arm as he winced, but he ignored this and crawled behind Bewear, wrapping his arms around him. The crowd went wild while he leapt high into the air and flipped the bear upside-down, holding him in a tight embrace.

"CANINE HUG SLAM!" he shouted as he descended toward the canvas, the back of Bewear's head making contact while his eyes widened, the crowd cheering insanely.

But once Crabrawler released his hold and allowed the bear to collapse, Popplio noticed him breathing more than before and asked, "Hey, do any of you guys see that?" Lycanroc nodding and replying, "Yeah. He hasn't used many moves yet, but so far, everything he's done seems to have exhausted him."

"But how can that be?" Eevee remarked, "His track record is just as perfect as my sister's. Though he did need my help to make it into the top fifteen." Now she could not help but feel worried. What if Crabrawler was not as great as he seemed?

However, things looked up when the crab shook his head and patted the sides of his face. He then turned toward Bewear who rose to his feet and thought, 'Not quite.'

With that in mind, he smirked and said, "Not bad. I have admit, those moves your parents passed down to you are pretty strong, but they got nothing on me," lashing out his claws.

"Don't listen to him!" Jackalu barked, "He's just trying to psyche you out!" the crab nodding as he noticed the bear racing toward him. But just like before, he had left himself wide open for a counterattack. It was as if the skilled fighter from before had been replaced by a less intimidating clone.

As such, Crabrawler waited for him to get close before rushing toward him like a Rugby player. He then tackled the bear and threw him off guard before lifting him up so his belly was up against his shoulder. And with that, the crab leapt high above the ring and leaned backward.

The crowd cheered wildly as he shouted, "HALF-MOON-" only for his eyes to widen when he felt a strain in his back. The cheers stopped as the area went silent, Crabrawler loosening his hold just enough for Bewear to slide out of his grip. And it did not end there when he lashed out his claws and curved them inward like before in order to lock the two legs on each side together.

"KARATIN PILEDRIVER!" Bewear exclaimed as he fell toward the ring and the back of Crabrawler's head made contact. Thus he coughed up a bit of blue blood before Umbreon got up and gasped, "CRABRAWLER!"

Eevee stared briefly as she could not believe her sister had shown this much concern. But just as quickly as her shock came, it left her since she was much more focused on the crab's predicament. As if that was not enough, things only got worse when Bewear flipped him onto his belly and climbed onto his back.

"For some reason, the Adair family's infamous Half-Moon Press has failed," Metapod stated as Jackalu was too mortified to speak, Clawitzer equally surprised. Even she thought for sure that would work.

Bewear proceeded to wrap his arms around Crabrawler's chin as he unleashed claws from his hands and feet, piercing both sides and pulling upward while shouting, "KARATIN SUBMISSION!"

Crabrawler would have struggled to free himself had he not felt so tired right now. As such, Bewear smirked and cooed, "Aw, you look so sad! I'm so sorry, but don't feel too bad yet!"

Umbreon did not like the sound of that as she snapped, "What do you mean by 'yet'!? He can still win! He always does!" Bewear sighing, "Honestly, I'm starting to question that. You're his partner, right?"

The black fox blinked and replied, "Yes," everyone turning to her with interest.

"Good, because you'll need to hear this too," the bear quipped, "You see, while that onslaught of palm punches may have caught me off guard, everything your ally here used afterwards was all me."

No one could believe what they had just heard as he added, "The truth is, I deliberately lowered my guard so Crabrawler could unleash his best moves on me. Why? Because I knew doing so would cause him to exhaust himself more quickly."

Crabrawler had a look of shame as at this moment, he finally realized where Bewear was coming from. Deep down, he always knew this, but he did not wish to accept it. And even Clawitzer had a feeling this might be the case, but she never imagined it was this bad.

"Well, why specifically did it work on him so well?" Eevee retorted as Popplio nodded and added, "Oui. You could have used that on any other opponent and it would have been risky no matter what."

"Well, I'm not sure why this is the case for Crabrawler here," Bewear remarked, "It was something I noticed after he used those palm punches. I wasn't able to fight back until he slowed down significantly, and that was when I saw it. Whenever Crabrawler uses one of his family's best moves, he uses a great deal of energy and puts a strain on himself. I just knew if I could draw out enough of those attacks, I could get him to weaken himself to the point where he would be easy pickings."

Fear spread through the area as Jackalu blinked and uttered, "Is that true, son?" Crabrawler looking up at him and sighing, "I think he might be right."

Umbreon tensed up as the crab added, "Thanks for all the encouragement all this time, but I'll be honest, Umbreon. I can't believe my track record is as good as it is. I don't feel like I've ever earned a victory in my entire life. Even my win on Hero Planet felt unearned, like it shouldn't have been that easy. It's true. Every time I use one of my dad's signature moves, I feel tired, and while I can handle Mom's moves better, they also make me feel weak."

"So you finally realized it," Bewear said with a smirk as Eevee gritted her teeth and growled, "God, he pisses me off! Does he have to be so smug about it!?"

Clawitzer tensed up and uttered, "Do you think maybe our son isn't fit for this line of work? I'm glad he's done such a good job so far, but if it really hurts him this much to use an attack-"

"NO!" Eevee squeaked before Crabrawler turned to her, Umbreon once again surprised as she added, "I refuse to believe you're this weak! Surely there must be one really powerful move you've used that didn't require a boatload of energy to pull off! Just think about it!"

The crab's eyes widened when he suddenly remembered that one moment during the marathon. One opponent he took out to regain the advantage was Abra, and he had done it with a move he had never used before. None of the members of his family were able to pull it off as they did not have enough legs to do so.

But the main thing that stood out to him was how he felt after using it. For some reason, he did not feel tired in the slightest. He kept running and did not slow down for even a second.

Now he finally knew what he had done wrong all this time. As such, he refused to allow Bewear to defeat him and lifted up both of his arms, sending his fists inward and planting them into his sides.

The bear cried out in pain as he released his hold and rolled off of his back. And with him rocking back and forth in pain, the crab rose to his feet and leapt into the air, ramming his feet rapidly into his gut while shouting, "CRAB KICKS!"

The crowd stared silently before breaking out into heavy cheers, Yukiko exclaiming, "And in a shocking turn of events, Crabrawler breaks free with two moves no one has ever seen from him!"

After dealing enough kicks, Crabrawler knew this would not be enough to defeat Bewear. As such, he lifted him up and proceeded to sent an onslaught of punches into his face with one fist while winding up the other.

"I've finally figured it out," he grunted as Jackalu and Clawitzer stared in shock, "It makes little sense, but all this time, I wasn't built to handle either of my parents' tactics! I should have spent the first few years of my life coming up with my own style! Well, now I'm finally ready to dish it out!"

The crowd was even more amazed, Eevee and the others cheering heavily. And all the while, Umbreon nodded and thought, 'Of course. Why didn't I see it before? Despite having the genetics, he doesn't have the structure to handle signature moves from the Adair or Craw family. Thank god he realized that before it was too late, because I don't think anyone else would have caught onto that.'

She then eyed Eevee as her mind added, 'Though I'm really surprised she was the one who helped him come to that realization. Why would she care so much? I know she helped him get into the top fifteen, but why would she even do that?'

After delivering thirty punches, the crowd was amazed when Crabrawler managed to expand the size of his other fist, sending it hard into Bewear's face and shouting, "POWER-UP PUNCH!"

This caused the bear was cough up blood and back up before holding his paw out and catching it. And yet he looked more intrigued than shocked while he smirked and said, "Well, good. You've finally become a challenge. Unfortunately for you, it's far too late."

"What are you talking about!?" Crabrawler retorted as the bear raced toward him.

When Bewear closed in, the crab sent a punch toward him only for the bear to dodge to the side and send a roundhouse into his ribcage. He then got behind Crabrawler and lashed out his claws, wrapping his arms around him and piercing his chest.

"You used up way too much energy earlier," he explained with a grin, "If you had just relied on your own style sooner, you may have actually stood a real chance."

With that, a dark energy surrounded him as he leapt into the air. However, the crowd was shocked when he spun his tail around like a propeller and used it to lift himself even higher. And with that, he flipped one hundred and eighty degrees and said, "You were a fine warmup for what's to come, but I've faced better."

The crowd stared in shock as Yukiko stated, "Crabrawler's comeback was impressive, but now it would seem Bewear has him in a tight spot!" Umbreon and Eevee both standing and snapping, "FIGHT IT, CRABRAWLER!" before staring at one-another.

The crab growled and rammed his legs backward into Bewear's shins. However, this seemed to have little effect as the bear used his tail to increase the speed of his descent, shouting, "KARATIN SUPLEX!"

And sure enough, the back of the crab's head hit the canvas hard as he coughed up blood and his eyes rolled to the back of his head. Umbreon tensed up while Caterpie and Wishiwashi panicked. Popplio and Eevee's jaws dropped, Lycanroc covering her mouth.

But the ones taking this the worst of all were Jackalu and Clawitzer, both praying that their son would rise. Unfortunately, Yukiko managed to reach the ten count as she rang the bell and exclaimed, "Crabrawler may have managed to turn things around near the end, but ultimately, this match goes to Bewear as he moves onto the second round!"

The crowd was unsure how to respond to this until one member of the Japanese crowd said, "Hey, you know what? That Bewear guy is pretty cool."

Another nodded and added, "Yeah. He just beat a member of the Adair family like it was nothing," one more shouting, "I wish I knew we had such an awesome representative!"

Bewear smiled and rose a fist in the air as the teenaged girls from earlier once again seemed to fall for him, only this time it was more due to how deceptive his physical appearance was. It was just as Yukiko said. He may have looked cute, but he was also very strong. Needless to say, Popplio would have his work cut out for him.

When Crabrawler was carried out of the area, Eevee watched with concern as Metapod stated, "Well, folks, that concludes the forth match. Therefor everyone will have an hour to move here for the next match," pointing to a park called Shinjuku Gyoen.

Popplio patted Eevee on the shoulder and nodded, saying, "Don't forget, you're up next," the fox taking a deep breath and replying, "Right," as she got up to leave. But before exiting the area for good, she took one last look at Crabrawler while he was carried out on a stretcher and soon to be taken to the hospital. Now Eevee really hoped that would not be her by the end of her match.


	46. Chapter 46

It had been twenty minutes since Crabrawler's match with Bewear ended and everyone had headed to Shinjuku Gyoen for the next two matches. However, many were shocked by the high number of elderly people showing up specifically for the upcoming fight when most of them had not come to any of the others. Eevee blinked at the sight of this as Lycanroc said, "Well, nice to see a bigger audience for your match, eh?"

"Yeah," the fox replied with a sweet smile, "I guess with how many times I've saved Tokyo, they must really like me!" as Popplio shrugged and suggested, "Maybe you should go over and talk to some of them. Fans love opportunities like those."

Eevee nodded and raced over to them, now having forgotten about the fear of winding up in the hospital like Noivern and Crabrawler. Needless to say, her friends were happy to see her spirits high.

The fox approached an elderly woman and beamed brightly, squealing, "Hi!" the woman turning to her and saying, "Oh, hello little fox child. I don't have time to chat right now. I and everyone else here have come to see Drampa perform."

Eevee stared in stunned silence. The fact that the woman did not wish to talk to her was not what surprised her. It was the fact that every single elderly person had come to watch this complete stranger fight. And the fact that the woman did not even seem to know Eevee's name was weird.

At that moment, Wishiwashi walked over and asked, "You okay?" the fox blinking and nodding before saying, "Come on, let's go. I need to get ready for my match," an uncomfortable look on her face.

Popplio blinked as Caterpie asked, "You think she'll be okay?" the seal shrugging and replying, "Oui. She's always ready for action."

After roughly a good half-hour, everyone was seated as Metapod stated, "Welcome, one and all, to match five of the Hero Olympics. It's been a great first half for round one and the next half promises to be great as well."

Yukiko nodded and added, "As you can see, half the crowd consists of the elderly today. As it so happens, one of the two fighters here today has a rather big fanclub that has come all the way here from his home country to see him fight."

"Oh, so none of them are from Tokyo," Popplio uttered, "That would explain how none of them recognized her," the others nodding in understanding.

Eevee overheard this while preparing herself while she thought, 'Oh, alright. For a second there, I thought maybe Tokyo's old people didn't see my matches,' a light smile on her face as she felt more ready than before. After all, it was normal for the opponent's country to be super supportive, though it did seem strange that no one younger had come to see this.

Even so, it was just about time for her to grace the audience with her presence as Metapod said, "Now that that's out of the way, it's time to introduce our fighters."

Yukiko nodded and announced, "In the red corner is a great hero who has saved Tokyo many times! Coming to us from Thailand, she started off flawed to say the least, but now she currently has the best track record here! With amazing spirit and a surprising amount of strength for her size, Eevee!"

Those in Japan and among the Thai crowd cheered wildly while Umbreon did not seem fazed by what she had just heard about her sister's track record. But why? She did not seem to know about it before.

Either way, the support only got louder when Eevee headed toward the ring with the fur atop her head spiked up and a leather shirt on. It took a while for the crowd to figure out what she was doing, but they soon caught on as Metapod stated, "Well, it would seem Eevee is paying homage to Crabrawler by wearing the same kind of getup he did for his match. Not sure why considering he's not one of her allies, but I'm sure if he was awake to see this in the hospital, he would love this!"

However, the elderly audience members gasped at the sight of this as the woman who had talked to Eevee earlier gasped, "My word! I never would have imagined that sweet-looking fox child was really some rowdy teenager!"

"Forget that!" a man retorted, "I find it more insulting that she looks more than ready to beat up Drampa! She knows how old he is, right!?" Eevee's ears twitching as she turned toward them in shock.

However, she snapped out of her trance when Popplio exclaimed, "Hey, Eevee, don't let them get to you! I think your entrance is tres magnifique and inspiring!"

"Yeah, don't forget, most of the crowd supports you!" Caterpie added as she nodded and thought, 'It's only natural that they would want me to lose. They came to see Drampa win. That's all,' though the way they made her sound like a hoodlum certainly left her feeling uneasy.

Once the elderly had calmed down, Yukiko cleared her throat and stated, "And in the blue corner is the very first Hero Olympics contestant over the age of thirty! In fact, it's gone on record that he is actually eighty-three and yet despite that, he still has plenty of fighting spirit! Hailing from Sweden is a true role model for elderly folks everywhere, Drampa!"

The elderly crowd went wild as everyone else stared in stunned silence. Drampa was currently being carried by six eighty-year-old women in a futon while waving to the crowd. And right now, Eevee could not help but wonder if he really was fit to fight in the Olympics.

The serpent dragon's skin was light blue but the lower three quarters of his head down to the lower side of his neck were pale green. His eyes were completely pink and perfectly round while his eyebrows were yellow. He also had a white fluffy tail, a beard and a mop of hair of the same colour. The lower half of his body and arms were also draped with white fur.

Just as he reached the ring, one woman tripped as the futon flew forward, many staring with concern when Drampa fell out of it and his chin hit the side of the ring. He turned to glared briefly at the woman while she uttered, "Sorry, Drampa."

After a few seconds, he smiled sweetly and replied, "Oh, it's alright," the crowd glad to see he was okay as he slowly climbed into the ring while breathing heavily.

Eevee blinked and asked, "Are you sure you should be doing this?" the dragon replying, "Don't worry about me, kid. I'm fit as a fiddle," as he flexed an arm only to show no difference.

Eevee blinked and thought, 'Well, this might be too easy, but a win's a win, I guess. I just hope no one gets mad,' as Wishiwashi uttered, "Wow. She's got this one in the clam shell."

With both fighters now on separate sides of the ring, Metapod stated, "Both fighters seem more than prepared. And so, without further ado, let us begin!" as Yukiko rang the bell.

With that, Eevee stood her ground, Drampa blinking and asked, "Oh, you're giving me the first move? How sweet of you." He then ran toward her, the elderly folks now starting to have second thoughts about the fox.

Seeing him run at a rather slow pace with his knees wobbling, Eevee knew he would be easy to take advantage of as she flipped backward and sent her feet hard into his pelvis. But just as she was about to add to that, her eyes widened when this one hit caused Drampa to cough up phloem as he held onto his gut, groaning, "Oh, that was rough!" falling to his knees and panting heavily.

The fox stared briefly and uttered, "Um, are you really okay?" only for Caterpie to tense up and bark, "Come on, Eevee! You got him! Keep it up!"

Eevee was unsure whether or not she should, but ultimately, she figured she may as well. As such, she raced toward Drampa and took hold of his shoulders. But just as she was ready to lift him up, the elderly woman from before pointed at her and snapped, "BARBARIAN!"

The fox's eyes and mouth widened as a man stood up and barked, "WHO TAUGHT YOU MANNERS, KID!? DON'T YOU SEE HE'S HURT!?" another woman adding, "You let go of him right now!"

"What is wrong with them?" Lycanroc uttered, "Surely they knew this would happen, right?" before noticing a few teenaged girls in the audience booing and jeering Eevee as well, many of which were from Tokyo.

However, they all calmed down when Drampa said reassuringly, "Oh, it's alright, folks. I can still fight," before taking full advantage of this and binding the back of Eevee's neck in place. He then held extra tight and sent a series of knee kicks into her pelvis, not only showing a great deal of energy but dealing a surprising amount of pain.

'What?' Eevee thought as she took in the fifth kick, 'Why does this hurt so much?' the Elderly crowd cheering wildly while Yukiko said, "And in a shocking turn of events, Drampa has made a miraculous recovery as he unleashes a series of knee kicks to Eevee."

"Don't forget, he's also applying pressure to her neck," Metapod added, "So this also doubles as a submission hold."

Seeing this, Popplio twitched and thought, 'I know you said you didn't want to rely on my advice a lot, but you need it,' before barking, "Eevee, there's a way out of this! Think! He's clearly not as physically strong as you!"

The fox gasped and nodded before wrapping her own arms around his back and pushing inward. This caused that very part to cave in slightly as Drampa yowled in pain. As such, he released his hold on the fox and allowed her to ram her head into his chin, causing him to fly backward. However, everyone was shocked to see this one headbutt provide enough force to send him over the ropes and cause him to land outside of the ring on his back.

"Oh my god," Caterpie uttered with fear in his eyes, "I knew Eevee was tough, but damn," as Lycanroc sighed, "Well, it's already been established he has a pretty weak body."

"You should be ashamed!" one of the Swedish fans spat before everyone else booed and jeered Eevee, the fox biting her lower lip as even the majority of her own fans shouted obscenities at her. She could not believe it. Everyone who had supported her up to this point seemed to hate her now. Was winning this match even worth it?

Umbreon gritted her teeth while she watched a group of elderly people get up from their seats to help Drampa up. The woman who had spoken to Eevee earlier smiled and asked, "Are you alright?" only for the dragon to shift his arm around just hard enough to smack her hand away.

The woman and some of the other people stared in shock as he grinned nervously and uttered, "Sorry about that, ma'am. That was an accident," the woman nodding and replying, "Of course. You would never hurt the elderly."

However, she had a look of suspicion when a pair of teenaged girls ran over to Drampa and asked, "Would you like a hand?" before helping him up, a big smile on his face as he replied, "Oh, thank you so much, ladies!"

No one seemed to notice his gaze shift downward while he was carried back into the ring, Eevee asking, "Hey, Metapod, isn't that against the rules?"

"Normally, it would be illegal to get outside help," Metapod replied, "But for Drampa, we're willing to make an exception," Caterpie uttering, "Wait, what?"

"Yeah, you tell her, Mister Chairman!" one of the elderly women shouted, "You have no idea what Drampa's risking his health for, fox brat! He's fighting to represent us old folks!"

A man nodded and added, "For years, we have been mocked and ridiculed because of our age and wrinkly skin! Everyone thinks we're weak, so Drampa has made it his life's mission to give us a good image! Not only that, but he also bought us our tickets!"

"Sacre bleu!" Popplio gasped, "Is that true?" as Metapod folded his arms and replied, "It sure is. It really touched my heart when he came here and offered all of his life savings just so all of these nice citizens could come and watch him fight for them."

Tears welled in his eyes while he sniffed, "I was so moved that I decided to cut the price in half. I just couldn't take away everything he had after he did something so nice!"

The rest of the audience, including the Thai fans, had big smiles while they all let out a collective, "Aw!" before glaring daggers at Eevee. Now the fox felt like the bad guy while Umbreon pulled out her cellphone. But why would she do that as such a crucial moment? Could she just not bare to watch this any longer?

"You know, I thought Eevee was cool before," a woman in the crowd whispered as the one next to her added, "I know, but she's really going to town on this guy. I like what she's done for us, but she seems to think her status gives her the right to do whatever she wants. I guess you really can't trust a fox."

With that in mind, the crowd booed and jeered her while throwing cans at her, the fox trembling and whimpering. Seeing this, Drampa laughed and said, "As you can see, little lady, all these nice people want me to succeed."

"This is terrible!" Caterpie whimpered while he clutched onto the sides of his head, Lycanroc getting up and barking, "HEY! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU GUYS!?"

Everyone stared at her as Wishiwashi uttered, "She's got a point. You're all treating Eevee like she's committing some sort of crime here. All she's trying to do is win the Olympics like everyone else."

"Oui," Popplio added, "It's not like she's actually trying to abuse the elderly or anything."

Unfortunately, this did not seem to work when they all booed and jeered them as well, one member of the crowd barking, "That's not an excuse!" another yelling, "To think I actually cheered for you! Now I wish Lurantis had beaten you, asshole!"

"Hey, stop it!" Eevee protested as Drampa smirked and leapt toward Eevee while swirling his body like a twister. The fox was unable to respond, thus she took his snout to her back, the dragon shouting, "SERPENT PURSUIT!"

Once again, Eevee was amazed by how much this hurt while she fell on her belly. And it only got worse when the dragon mounted himself on top of her and sent a slow punch into the back of her head. The fox winced in pain as he delivered another one and kept this up, most of the crowd cheering wildly.

"And Drampa has Eevee down while he unleashes an onslaught of surprisingly strong punches," Yukiko stated, Caterpie asking, "Why can't she get up from that? Surely that must be easy for her."

"I'm certain it is," Popplio replied with his eyes narrowed, "In fact, I have no doubt in my mind that she can get out of this. I think the real question, though, is does she want to?"

Wishiwashi tensed up while Lycanroc groaned, "Oh no, you have a point! All those words from the crowd probably made her feel like a villain!"

This seemed so as after delivering fifteen punches, Drampa smirked and said, "Well, you seem to have realized it's pointless to resist me. So how's about this?" before wrapping his neck around her upper body and using his tail to lock her legs in place. He then pulled upward and shouted, "SERPENT CONSTRICTION!"

Caterpie turned to Metapod and spat, "Dad, come on, tell the audience to stop being judgemental!" only for the chrysalis to sigh, "Look, son, I'm sorry. I know your friend hasn't done anything wrong, but if the audience hates her for it, there's nothing I can really do. I feel bad for her, but that's just how it is."

And it seemed so as almost everyone in the area wanted to see Eevee submit. Along with her friends, one particular person who did not seem to want his success anymore was the elderly woman who had spoken to Eevee. However, her tune changed when one of her friends reminded her that Drampa was winning. She had just about forgotten what the dragon was fighting for.

"As you can see, Eevee, I may be old, but I can still perform new tricks," Drampa said with a smirk as one teenaged girl squealed, "Wow! Drampa's so cool!"

"I know!" another added, "I never knew old people could be so awesome! You rule, Drampa!" the dragon grinning deviously and giving the girl a light wave.

Seeing this, Popplio took a deep breath and snapped, "Come on, Eevee! Don't let the crowd distract you! Remember, we all want to see you win! And think about your mama! How would she feel if you lost the first round!?"

The fox gasped and squeaked, "RIGHT!" before squirming out of Drampa's hold. The dragon winced as she sent a rolling sobat into his face. Thus he rolled backward under the ropes and out of the ring.

Once again, the crowd was too concerned to give Eevee any support as the same young girls ran over to help him. As such, he smiled and said, "You ladies are so kind and gentle, unlike that brute, Eevee. You melt this old dragon's heart!" before nuzzling one cheek against the side of each one's chest.

One of them laughed nervously and uttered, "Mister Drampa, sir, that's a little inappropriate," as he chuckled and replied, "Oh, silly me. I was merely expressing my gratitude."

Once again, the old woman from before looked suspiciously at him while the other girl sighed, "Miku, he didn't mean anything wrong by that. He's too sweet and honest for that," her friend saying, "Right. I shouldn't have scolded you, Drampa. I'm sorry."

"Think nothing of it, ladies," he replied as they carried him back into the ring, Eevee once again feeling guilty as the majority of the crowd booed her. Even children who used to look up to her now saw her as an abusive monster. How could this get any worse?

"Everyone, calm down," Drampa said reassuringly, "I'll be sure to win this match soon, and once it's all over, I think I'll look around Tokyo a little bit until round two."

"Oh, we can show you all the best spots," suggested a girl from the crowd, the dragon replying, "I'd like that a lot," and giving her a wink as Umbreon glared angrily at the screen on her phone. But just what was she looking at?

Eevee trembled and backed away from Drampa while he slowly advanced toward her with his arms raised menacingly. Despite his gentle exterior, he was by far the scariest adversary she had ever faced. Not even Palossand had been this frightening as at least against him, she had her priorities straight. When it came to the old serpent dragon, it was a mystery whether or not she should fight back.


	47. Chapter 47

Things could not have looked worse for Eevee right now. Not only was Drampa surprisingly strong, but most of the crowd wanted to see her lose. Every time she fought back, it was seen as her abusing the elderly.

Even so, when she turned to her friends, all of them reassured her that she should not let the crowd sway her. As such, she took a deep breath and raced toward Drampa. But seeing the various cold looks from the elderly people behind him made her stop in her tracks as the dragon raced toward her and rammed his arm into her neck.

While it hurt, surprisingly, this was not strong enough to knock her on her back. Unfortunately, it seemed as if this was exactly what Drampa wanted when he swung around her and linked his arm to the exact spot he had hit. He then exclaimed, "ELDER FANGS!"

Even his fans were confused when they saw that he had no teeth whatsoever. However, that changed in seconds when fumes came from his gums and a set of black and brown fangs emerged. Eevee did not even try to free herself as he sunk them into her shoulder.

More fumes came from that exact spot while Eevee cried out in agony, Caterpie barking, "WHAT THE HELL, EEVEE!? FORGET ABOUT THEM! FIGHT BACK!"

"Shut your yap, you spoiled brat!" an old man retorted, "Your father knows that this is how this match should play out! You should follow his example!" the caterpillar tensing up and whimpering, "Now that I'm not a loser, I'm a monster! I'll never earn respect from people, will I!?"

Lycanroc shook her head and patted him on the back, cooing, "Don't let them get to you. They don't know what they're saying."

After a few seconds, Drampa removed his fangs as Eevee had a set of deep holes in her shoulder. The old dragon then retracted them back into his gums and explained, "If you're all wondering why my teeth are so filthy, it's because I stopped getting good dental care many years ago."

"How cruel," a young girl gasped as another added, "But on the upside, he's able to use his tooth decay as a weapon! It's so awesome he's using that to fight evil instead of getting revenge on the world that wronged him!"

He had even more respect when he waved at the young girls with his free arm, blowing a few of them kisses. Thus the elderly woman who had cast him suspicious looks so far gritted her teeth, but why did she seem to resent him now? Surely she had to have been just as happy as all the others to see Drampa doing as well as he was.

"Now that I've made you weak enough, I think it's high time I end this for good," Drampa said with a smirk as he wrapped his neck around Eevee's. He then used all his might to lift her up while using his hands for assistance.

Everyone was truly astounded since they could not believe someone so old could pull that off. He then leaned backward and exclaimed, "CONSTRICTION BRAINBUSTER!"

And with that, the back of Eevee's head hit the canvas and she coughed up blood, Drampa releasing his hold and saying, "Put a fork in her. She's done."

Metapod blinked and said, "And in a stunning display, Drampa has managed to knock Eevee down," Yukiko starting the ten count while everyone cheered wildly for the dragon. Popplio and the others trembled as they refused to believe this. Surely this was not enough to defeat someone who had gotten up from far worse multiple times over the past.

And in reality, it was not. The truth was that Eevee had lost all desire to win this match. She hoped that maybe, just maybe if she yielded the victory to Drampa, everyone would respect her again.

But right when Yukiko reached four seconds, Umbreon closed her phone and thought, 'Finally,' before pointing forward and barking, "STOP THAT COUNTDOWN RIGHT NOW! THIS GUY SHOULDN'T EVEN BE HERE!"

Everyone stared as an elderly man snapped, "You're just upset because you can't stand to see an old man beat a teenager!" the black fox shaking her head and retorting, "No! I couldn't care less about that! I would actually respect that if this dragon right here wasn't a wanted criminal!"

The entire area went silent until Metapod blinked and uttered, "He is?"

Umbreon nodded and explained, "It took me a while, but I finally remembered something I had learned a long time ago when researching old fighters. I thought I had seen an image of a younger dragon who looked very similar to Drampa, and as it so happens, I did."

Drampa's eyes and mouth were wide with shock as Eevee opened her eyes and rose to her feet, her sister adding, "Forty years ago, there was a dragon by the name of Thorn who used a fighting style very similar to that of Drampa. He would use his slender and flexible body to get his opponents to submit to him. But while he was a champion back in his hometown, he was also a menace to society."

Many members of the audience found this to be a tad too convenient, but they continued to listen while she explained, "Now, he had been known to use psychology and manipulation to get his opponents to submit to him, but that wasn't a real crime. No, he was a lecherous hebephile who went around molesting teenaged girls and threatening them never to tell. But one day, someone had the courage to do just that and they hired a witch to shift him into the form of a ghost and bind him to the top of a stone. I have no doubt in my mind that this Drampa is Thorn forty-three years older!"

The crowd could not believe this as the dragon laughed and said, "Well, that was a fascinating story, but can you prove it was me?" the elderly woman from earlier getting up and snapping, "I BELIEVE HER STORY!"

Everyone stared in shock while she spat, "I've noticed up to this point that Drampa doesn't respect us as much as he lets on! When he smacked my hand away, he did it on purpose! He only wanted help from the two teenaged girls who tried to help him!"

Eevee stared wide-eyed and snapped, "Is that true!?" everyone else turning to face him as he laughed nervously and uttered, "Well, you see-"

Seeing as he was not even trying to deny it anymore, the girls both groaned and uttered, "So when he rubbed his head against our boobs-" before shuddering.

"Alright, fine, it's true!" Drampa barked, "I don't care about you old fogies at all, and I hate being one of you! I wish I was young again so getting a nice young girl in my bed wouldn't be considered creepy or illegal!"

Umbreon folded her arms and sighed, "So when you tried to grab me during the race, you had an ulterior motive," Eevee groaning, "Oh my god, were you sizing me up when we were in the pinballs!?"

Drampa blushed lightly and said, "Yeah. Unfortunately, you're not my type," the fox barking, "NOT YOUR TYPE!?" everyone truly repulsed by him.

"But then why did you buy all those tickets for us?" an elderly man enquired as the others nodded, the dragon remarking, "It was because I knew that if Eevee tried to hit me, you would all speak up in my defence and make her feel guilty. And hey, it's worked wonders so far!"

The audience wanted to deny every word of this. To think all this time, the Thai and Japanese fans had turned against Eevee to support this old pervert.

Popplio gritted his teeth and growled, "Umbreon's right. He really shouldn't be here," as Lycanroc snapped, "Eevee, kick his ass!"

The fox sighed and asked, "Before we continue this fight, I need to know something. If all of that was true, then how did you escape from the stone?" Umbreon blinking as even she wondered that.

Drampa shrugged his shoulders and explained, "It took a long time, but it was pretty easy. See, some nurse discovered me years after everyone had forgotten about my existence. I told her I was trapped because of a demonic curse, so she hired a group of strong young men to break open that rock and free me from confinement. Now I'm free to travel the world and violate whoever I want, and there's nothing you can do to stop me!"

"That's what you think!" Eevee retorted, "Did you forget I'm still standing!?" as he blinked and uttered, "Oh yeah. That attack wasn't really strong enough to defeat you, was it?"

With that in mind, the fox turned to the elderly folks and asked, "Mind if I teach him a lesson?" all of them folding their arms and shaking their heads. That was all Eevee needed as Drampa protested, "Hey, come on, you can't just do that!"

Unfortunately, it was too late, thus Eevee rammed her elbow into his gut and wrapped her arms around his sides. She then lifted him up and planted his skull hard into the canvas. As such, he rolled away and crawled toward the teens, uttering, "You still wanna see me win, right?"

"Ew, get away from us!" one of the girls retorted as Eevee leapt toward him and sent her feet into the back of his head, barking, "You don't deserve anyone's sympathy!"

Seeing as he could no longer manipulate Eevee, Drampa breathed heavily and exclaimed, "Alright, fine! You forced me to use this!" before inhaling air and barking, "RANCID BREATH!"

The crowd gasped in terror when he unleashed the horrible breath created by all the years he spent without dental treatment. As such, Eevee got a good whiff of it and clasped onto her nose. This distracted her just long enough for the dragon to ram his snout into her gut and shout, "SERPENT PURSUIT!"

But while this had been enough to knock the fox down before, at this point, she no longer cared. As such, she placed a firm grip against the dragon's head and grunted, "Not so tough when you're not using the audience for your own benefit, are you!?"

With that, she rammed her knee into his chin as he backed up, grunting in pain. Eevee took full advantage of this and leapt backward. She then planted her feet against the ropes and stretched them back, thrusting her ears forward as the crowd stared in wonder.

"Is she going to use her Flying Fox Wheel to end this match, folks?" Yukiko asked, Eevee remarking, "No, I just recently created a new move and I wanna use it to put this match to an end!"

With that in mind, she bounced off the material and sent her ears back, creating a large gust of wind and speeding up her flight. The crowd was now beyond excited when she held her arms out and latched them to Drampa once she was close enough. She then shifted her weight forward so both their skulls faced the turnbuckle, but since the dragon was taller, his was the one that would make contact.

And soon enough, he hit the pole hard and coughed up blood as Eevee exclaimed, "FLYING FOX PROPELLER CRASH!"

She then released her hold as the dragon fell hard on his back, all going silent until Yukiko started the ten count. Metapod, meanwhile, stated, "And Eevee shocks us all with a technique that's a lot more complicated than I thought it would be! But one thing's for certain! It was effective!"

"Way to go, mon ami!" Popplio shouted as Lycanroc added, "You're the best, Eevee!"

"She really is something, isn't she?" Wishiwashi asked before Caterpie nodded.

And all the while, Umbreon folded her arms and smiled lightly. But it only lasted a few seconds before Yukiko reached the ten count and rang the bell, exclaiming, "And on that note, Eevee is our winner!"

Since Drampa no longer had any respect from the crowd, everyone, including the elderly folks from Sweden, gave Eevee a round of applause. The fox let down a light tear as it felt good to have fans again, but most of all, she had just defeated a criminal in a tournament for heroes. If anything, she had done more than just win a match today.

As such, her friends got up from their seats and ran into the ring to give her a tight embrace. However, before they could congratulate her further, their eyes widened when Drampa twitched and looked up at Eevee, the fox not looking too surprised.

"Why?" the dragon uttered, "Why didn't you apply enough force to knock me unconscious? I don't deserve your pity!" Eevee sighing, "You're right, you don't. But honestly, with your odd fighting style, I think you could do some serious good for the world. You may not be able to handle the same kind of pain everyone else can, but you can really dish it out. I think if you decided to use your powers for good, it could really benefit mankind."

Drampa stared in shock as she added, "The members of the Mach family believed in giving everyone a second chance. And, well, I've seen more than enough proof that such a mindset is worth having. Besides, it's not like what you were doing was straight-up villainous. It was vile and gross, but it wasn't evil."

Drampa let down a light tear and sniffed, "You're a good kid," before closing his eyes and falling asleep. This left him unable to escape when a group of authorities raced into the area to arrest him.

But before they could take him away, Metapod asked, "Hey, um, son, what kind of punishment do you think he deserves? Because you were kinda right about Lycanroc and her friends."

The caterpillar nodded and replied, "Considering his acts were more serious by Earth standards, I'd say a couple of months in prison should do him some good."

Some members of the crowd found this to be too light,but after Eevee's speech and Drampa's reaction, they had a feeling that there might have been hope for him in the future. As such, they decided to accept this. After all, it was not as if he was being sent to an Earth prison anyway, so he would be far away from them during his time in confinement.

With all said and done, Eevee took a deep breath and was ready to return to the bleachers with her friends. However, that changed when Metapod stated, "Much like before, we'll have a ten minute recess while our next two fighters get ready."

Decidueye and Torracat both got up and gave one-another a grin before heading off to prepare themselves while Umbreon got up to find an area to relieve herself. Seeing that, Eevee blinked and uttered, "I'll join you guys in a sec. All that fighting really worked up my bladder," Wishiwashi nodding and replying, "Oh yeah, you go ahead! I know more than anyone what that's like!"

The others stared awkwardly at him as Eevee headed off, Popplio shaking his head and saying, "I get the feeling there's more to this than she's letting on."

And sure enough, Umbreon had not really gone to relieve herself. Instead, she was just standing a small distance from the ring as if she had expected Eevee to follow her. Yet her face certainly did not show that she had wanted this.

Even so, Eevee took a deep breath and fibbed, "Oh, hey Umbreon. Didn't expect to see you here," the black fox turning to face her and groaning, "Me neither. Perhaps I shall go-"

"Wait," the brown fox uttered as her sister stopped, "Look, I know it's probably super pathetic that I needed your help back there, but I just wanted to thank you, you know, for exposing him like that. I know you probably think I'm a loser because I needed you to bail me out again when I should have known better and seen through his-"

"Stop," Umbreon remarked with a sigh, "You're embarrassing yourself," Eevee grinning nervously as she added, "Don't think too much of this. I simply didn't want to see a criminal still walking the streets. I can guarantee, if that had been any other fighter going up against him, I would have done the same."

Eevee stared in utter shock while the black fox turned away from her and said, "But I will admit, Eevee. When you finally started to fight seriously back there, you did use some moves I didn't think you could. So you're not as bad as I thought you'd be."

The brown fox blinked as even though that was the nicest thing Umbreon had said to her in years, it still sounded insulting. While Eevee no longer cared about upstaging her sister, she had wanted acknowledgement that she was worthy of being a hero. And the fact that this was the nicest thing she could say about her skills made her feel slightly bitter.

"Well, I can guarantee you'll see even more of that later," Eevee quipped in a sour tone, "If by some chance, we end up facing each other, you'll see who the better sister is!" before sticking out her tongue and marching back to the bleachers.

Umbreon turned and watched this with a slightly worried look in her eyes, thinking, 'Am I doing the right thing?'

With all said and done, Eevee returned to the others and sat down with a more neutral look on her face. She did not wish to worry them. And luckily, while all of them had eventually caught onto her true intentions for taking off, they did not wish to bring it up.

And to make matters better, quite a number of those seated near Eevee used this as an opportunity to apologize for turning against her like they had. That immediately lifted her spirits as she smiled and thought, 'Yeah, we will see who the better sister is soon enough.'

After a few more minutes, it was time for the next match as Metapod announced, "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, it's been a super intense first round so far! But try to remember that we got three more matches before it ends, and fight number six is now underway!"

The crowd's excitement reached its peak while Yukiko stated, "In the red corner, hailing from the Andaman Islands, is a sharpshooting owl with a threatening look. He is mysterious, he is strong and he has come here to grace us with his talents! Presenting Decidueye!"

The Indian crowd went wild as Decidueye stood by the entrance with his long wing over his face. He then took to the sky and landed atop the turnbuckle with only one foot. Finally, he spread out both wings and flipped his head back, winking and smirking at his fans. As a result, one girl in the audience gasped and fainted.

The owl was certainly a sight to behold. He was tall and the upper portion of his face was black with a thin, orange mask around his eyes, his beak dark-green. The feathers along his wings and back were brown while the rest of his body was mainly white. The three feathers closest to the top of each wing were marked to look more like fingers and the inside of each was lined with orange upside-down triangles near the top. His tail consisted of three long green leaves and he also wore a matching hood with uneven edges and an orange X-shaped bow tie made of dead leaves. Finally, his collar consisted of two vines with leaves on the end.

"He sure looks intimidating, doesn't he?" Metapod asked with a grin as Yukiko nodded and added, "And in the blue corner is ironically Decidueye's partner in crime fighting! Coming to us from Brazil is a feisty feline with a fiery spirit! And even though she fights alongside this owl, she will stop at nothing to take him down! Give it up for Torracat!"

The Brazilian fans went wild when Torracat sprinted toward the ring on all fours. And once she was close enough, she leapt into the air and did a few flips before performing a handstand on the top rope with only one hand. She then leapt off and held her arms up threateningly, the excitement from the crowd rising.

Torracat was quite lovely herself. All over her body were black and reddish-orange markings, the upper half of her body being mostly black while the lower half was mostly orange. Atop her head was a slick cowlick with two markings under it that made it look more like the blade of a sword. Her paws and feet had three fingers and toes each and she had a round yellow bell-like organ in her neck with an orange center.

Needless to say, despite both fighters being allies, they were still more than ready to begin this fight. But who would come out on top was anyone's guess.


	48. Chapter 48

This was a rather big deal to say the least. The sixth match of the day was between two best friends, Decidueye and Torracat. But as major as this was, there was only one thing on Eevee's mind as she rested her arms behind her head.

"You know, after so much drama, it's kinda nice to have one match where the result doesn't matter to us," she stated as Caterpie nodded and replied, "That's true. We don't know either of these two."

"Even so, you really should pay attention to this match, Eevee," Popplio said with his flippers folded, "Don't forget, whoever wins will be your next opponent."

The fox blinked and uttered, "Oh yeah," before sighing, "Oh well, at least neither of them would result in me being accused of prejudice. I hope I never have to deal with that again."

Meanwhile, in the ring, Decidueye grinned at Torracat and said, "Well, here we are, old friend," the cat nodding and replying, "Yeah. Who would have thought we'd be face-to-face in the Hero Olympics, let alone the first round?"

She then lashed out her claws and added, "Don't you dare go easy on me, because I sure as hell won't. I know how tough you can be, so I can tell if you're holding back."

"Please, I wouldn't dream of it," Decidueye remarked with a smirk, "I was worried you might do that, though," as both heroes shared a quick laugh, the audience really hoping they would stop the smalltalk soon. As nice as their friendship was, everyone had come to see a match.

And luckily, that would come soon as they both stood on separate sides of the ring. Therefor, Yukiko nodded and said, "Well, folks, the combatants are set. So without further ado, let us begin."

Once the bell rang, Torracat wasted no time going down on all fours and racing toward Decidueye. The owl easily saw this coming, held up one of his vines and spread out his wing. He then used his free wing to pull out a feather, many shocked to see that this was actually the fletching of an arrow. He then placed it against the vine, using it just like a bow.

"SPIRIT SHACKLE!" he exclaimed as he fired it, a purple aura now surrounding the tip. Torracat gasped and leapt to the side, the arrow striking the left leg of her shadow. As such, she winced in pain while all but the Indian fans gasped.

Not only did she seem unable to move that particular leg, but she had fallen on her side with a light trickle of blood coming from it. Eevee blinked as Wishiwashi uttered, "Uh, what's going on here?"

Lycanroc stared briefly before gasping, "I get it! Decidueye's using some kind of spiritual power to bind Torracat's shadow in place!" everyone giving her an odd look as the owl grinned at her.

"Well, well, I'm impressed," he stated before turning his back to Torracat and resting his wings on the ropes, "Most people don't catch onto that right away."

"Well, I did spend most of my life working alongside a ghost fire type," Lycanroc replied with a grin, "You learn a lot from them," as Decidueye stated, "Well, funny you mention that. You see, I'm not just a grass type. I'm also a ghost type."

While he was distracted, Torracat pried the arrow out and smirked before racing toward him, an Indian fan barking, "HEY, DECIDUEYE, LOOK OUT!"

The owl turned just in time to received a fierce scratch to his torso. It did not end there when Torracat latched her arms and legs to his shoulders and thighs, hissing, "I told you not to go easy on me! That includes dropping your guard!"

Decidueye laughed nervously as her bell-like organ glowed. Soon enough, the orange dot in the middle turned into a stream of fire and shot forward like a bullet, putting a small burn mark on the owl's chest while she yelled, "CAT BALA!"

The Brazilian fans went wild while she sent even more strikes into that same spot, Decidueye frowning and ignoring the pain. He then reeled his head back as his beak glowed light green. And with that, he sent it forward and spat, "SOLAR PECK!"

Torracat cried out in pain when the beak hit her forehead. As such, she released her hold and ended her assault, falling on her back. The Indian crowd went wild as Decidueye flapped over her and sent his heels rapidly into her gut, saying, "Sorry for dropping my guard. I promise it won't happen again."

"Good!" Torracat remarked after receiving twenty kicks. She then raised her arms and took hold of the owl's ankles, digging her claws into them and adding, "I'd hate to beat you with ease."

She then rose to her feet and leapt into the air, lowering Decidueye so she could plant his back into the canvas, Metapod saying, "And just as it looked like Decidueye has the advantage back, Torracat retaliates with a powerbomb."

The Brazilian crowd was even more ecstatic now as Torracat leapt away from Decidueye to keep her distance. She then went down on all fours and swished her tail back and forth, purring, "Now this is the fun match I wanted."

Caterpie watched this in awe and uttered, "Wow, this is a lot more intense than I was expecting," as Popplio nodded and stated, "Oui. Even though they're meilleurs amis, they still take this match very seriously. It's as if they're treating one-another as strangers for the sake of a fair fight."

"And to think, I had trouble standing up to Cyndaquil when I faced her," Eevee groaned before Popplio patted her on the shoulder and laughed nervously.

Decidueye sprang to his feet before picking three arrows off of his back, Lycanroc enquiring, "You know, I really hate to ruin this, but how exactly is that legal?" as Caterpie explained, "Simply put, those arrows are a part of Decidueye's body. If they were material possessions that he brought with him into the ring, then Dad would have to disqualify him."

Either way, Torracat knew she would need to be nimble when Decidueye smirked and shouted, "SPIRIT SHACKLE!" letting loose all three arrows. But while the cat managed to dodge all three, she knew she was in trouble when he pulled out three more and fired them again.

"You'd better be careful," he said tauntingly, "If I hit you again, I swear I won't drop my guard," Torracat leaping back and forth until the tenth set of arrows hit the left arm, right ankle and shoulder of her shadow.

With that, the cat was now on her back with drops of blood rising up from those very spots. And as she lifted up her free arm to pry one arrow out of her shadow, Decidueye remarked, "Can't let you do that," before pulling out three more and unleashing them upon her free spots. However, he made sure not to aim for her chest, neck or head since the last thing he wanted to do was kill her.

The Indian fans cheered wildly while Yukiko exclaimed, "Decidueye wasn't kidding when he said he wouldn't hold back! He has just trapped Torracat in place, leaving her unable to fight back!"

Tensions rose as Decidueye flapped high above Torracat, saying, "I kinda hate to use this move on you, but I promised I wouldn't hold back no matter what."

With that in mind, he once again aimed his heels toward the cat, only this time he spun around while conjuring up a twister of grass. He then descended quickly and exclaimed, "GRASS TORNADO!" planting his feet hard into Torracat's gut as his wind spread out, blowing the arrows out of her shadow.

But while this meant she was free to move, it hardly seemed to matter when she coughed up blood with her eyes and mouth wide open. Her head then tilted to the right as she stuck out her tongue, silence filling the air until Eevee uttered, "Is it already over?"

It seemed so when Yukiko stared the ten count, Decidueye blinking and looking down at Torracat. When the woman reached three, he uttered, "Wow. I didn't think that would actually finish the job. Oh boy, I hope I didn't go too far."

Once the woman reached seven, though, Torracat smirked and propelled herself upward, kicking Decidueye hard in the gut as he backed up slightly. She then launched herself away from him and landed on all fours once again with a smirk on her face.

"Come on, you've known me long enough," she stated, "A few good hits won't take me down!" as the owl breathed a sigh of relief and replied, "Well, thank god. I was worried I may have just given you a one-way ticket to the hospital."

Eevee blinked and said, "Wow, even after getting hit, he's just happy that she's okay," as Lycanroc beamed and squealed, "It's so sweet! That's true friendship!" giving Caterpie a big hug while his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

Of course, Torracat's comeback had only started when black flames surrounded her paws. Decidueye knew exactly what was coming and reached behind himself only for his eyes to widen. And with that, he had no way to defend himself as the cat leapt toward him with her arms out and spun in a circle.

"DARKEST LARIAT!" she spat as she sent her claws into the owl's cheek. This caused him to fall on his side while she proceeded to plant her elbow into his gut.

The Brazilian crowd went wild as Yukiko stated, "And it would seem that Decidueye is unable to defend himself as Torracat knocks him down with a powerful lariat. Will that elbow drop be enough to end this?"

It did not seem so as Decidueye did his best to push himself up. However, Torracat was ready for this, thus she leapt behind him and wrapped her arms around his neck, smirking and saying, "It's amazing. I managed to remember that you can only use thirty-four arrows a day and yet you seem to have forgotten entirely."

Decidueye gasped, "Oh my god, you're right!" as the Indian fans panicked, Yukiko turning to Metapod and asking, "Is that true?"

"As a matter of fact, it is," Metapod replied with his arms folded, "See, every twenty-four hours, Decidueye grows a certain number of feathers that double as arrows. However, for whatever reason, that number can only go as high as thirty-four. That means if by the end of the day, he still has some arrows left, he'll only grow back the feathers he used up that day."

Eevee blinked and said, "Wow, I'm learning a lot about these two. You were right, Popplio. Watching them fight has given me many good ideas for how to go about fighting them."

"Bien," the seal replied with a grin, "I told you watching this match would be beneficial. Now whichever one you fight you'll be a little bit more prepared for."

But while it looked like Torracat truly did have the advantage, Decidueye took a deep breath and smiled lightly, saying, "Well, it was smart of you to take advantage of me like that. But it seems like you forgot something about yourself."

"What's that?" the cat uttered as he spread out his wings and flew into the air, explaining, "While your dad may have had the muscles to pull off submission holds, you don't quite have those."

"Oh shit," Torracat groaned as the owl spun himself around fast enough to smack her off of his neck. He then flew toward her while his beak glowed green. And when he planted it hard into her gut, he exclaimed, "SOLAR PECK!"

The Indian fans cheered wildly as Torracat's back was sent hard into the turnbuckle. Therefor she coughed up blood while her eyes rolled to the back of her head, Decidueye backing up and sighing, "Sorry to apply so much pressure, but I want to win this as much as you."

With that, Torracat slid down the side of the pole and collapsed as Yukiko examined her closely, starting a ten count even though the cat was not on her back. All went silent until Decidueye folded his wings and sighed, "You put up an amazing fight, my friend. I promise I'll defeat Eevee for both of us."

And sure enough, the woman reached ten seconds and rang the bell, shouting, "And after probably one of the most action-packed fights so far, Decidueye is our winner!" the Indian fans cheering wildly. Even the Brazilian fans gave him some slight support seeing as he was Torracat's best friend.

Eevee blinked and uttered, "Damn. Looks like I got my work cut out for me," as Popplio nodded and replied, "Another reason why it's important to study the other fighters in any tournament."

After a few seconds, though, Decidueye blinked and stared at Torracat with concern. He then waved a wing in front of her face and asked, "You okay, buddy?"

After a few seconds, the cat opened her eyes and smirked, saying, "Of course I am," before sighing, "But it seems like you were the better fighter in the end."

"Don't say that," Decidueye remarked with a grin, "I had fun. You were a great first opponent," the cat beaming as the two pounded their fists together.

The crowd watched with big smiles as Yukiko said, "And despite both heroes going all-out, their friendship will never die. It truly is beautiful, isn't it?" Metapod letting down light tears and sniffing, "Yeah! It really is a wonderful thing!"

And with all said and done, Decidueye helped Torracat up and slung her arm over his shoulder. Both then exited the ring when he briefly turned to Eevee and smirked at her. The fox folded her arms and nodded her head with a light smile.

"And now it's finally time to head to our last location," Metapod explained as he brought up the big map, "This particular one shall take place here," directing everyone's attention to a fancy restaurant.

Many were confused by this since such an area had never been used for a match before. But even so, they figured there was no point questioning this and left the bleachers.

"Geez, do they ever use normal locations for these?" Eevee uttered as Caterpie replied, "Well, the weird areas are usually only used for the first couple of rounds. The last three matches are held in much more normal places," the fox sighing, "So I only have to deal with this for one more round. I guess I can manage."

"Well, on the upside, maybe we'll get to have dinner while watching the match," Wishiwashi suggested, the others turning to one-another and shrugging their shoulders. If anything, that may have been Metapod's plan.

Caterpie then remembered who was fighting in the next match as he smiled at Lycanroc and said, "Kick ass out there, alright?" the wolf nodding and sighing, "I hope you won't feel bad if I win, Eevee."

The fox blinked and remarked, "Why would I-?" before realizing what Lycanroc meant. She had almost forgotten that the wolf was going up against her sister, someone she wanted to fight at some point. With that in mind, she looked down and bit her lower lip.

After a few seconds, though, she smiled and squeaked, "I'd have no reason to be mad at you. After all, we're friends. I want all of us to make it to round two," Popplio grinning and replying, "Oui. I would certainly love to face at least one of you guys in this tournament."

"Speaking of which-" Eevee uttered before pulling out her cellphone and picking a certain name from her contacts list. And after a while, she got a response as she smiled and said, "Hey, Chespin. How are things going on your end?"

The chipmunk let out a sigh and replied, "Noivern's still out cold. The doctor says he'll be out for a few days. I gotta say, that Scorchicken really pulled a number on him."

"How's Litwick handling it?" Eevee enquired as Chespin said, "She's wishing he'll wake up sooner. Honestly, I've never seen her so worried before. She's normally so calm about everything. But I guess I can't really blame her."

After a bit more talking, he added, "By the way, I caught your match earlier. Not gonna lie, seeing you cave into peer pressure like that was pretty damn painful."

"Ugh, I know," Eevee groaned, "But I was pretty awesome after all of that, right?"

Chespin nodded and replied, "Of course. Once that crowd turned against Drampa, he didn't stand a chance. Oh, and tell Popplio he did an incredible job in his match as well, not that I would expect anything less."

Eevee nodded and squeaked, "I'll be sure to tell him! Oh, but you know who his next opponent is, right?" Chespin sighing, "Yeah. Litwick and I will be there to see that match for sure. After what that guy did to Crabrawler, there's no doubt even someone as awesome as Popplio will need us there to cheer him on."

The fox beamed and said, "Well, that's good. Besides, I'm pretty sure Noivern wouldn't want you to spend all of your free time in the hospital, right?" the chipmunk sighing, "Yeah, I know that. But I'm not so sure about Litwick. I think she might actually be planning to spend whatever amount of time we have until round two watching over him."

Eevee blinked when a devious grin formed on her face. She then shifted to a low whisper and asked, "So, be honest, there's a reason you're sticking by Litwick instead of doing your own thing, isn't there?"

Chespin's cheeks turned bright pink as he exclaimed, "Oh, shit! You're breaking up!" before hanging up and taking a deep breath, thinking, 'I don't know. Is she right?'

He then shrugged his shoulders and walked over to the candle, patting her on the shoulder. She turned to him and smiled lightly, clearly grateful to have him there to watch over Noivern with her.

Either way, it was time for the others to head off, and after a half-hour, they arrived at the correct location. They were shocked to find that this was no ordinary restaurant either. As it so happened, this match was to take place in the biggest, most expensive one that Tokyo had to offer.

"Oh my Cthulhu, if your dad's treating us to a meal here, I would be forever grateful," Wishiwashi uttered as Caterpie nodded.

And sure enough, once the guests were seated, every one of them was served a platter while Metapod sat at a table that doubled as an announcer's booth and said, "Eat up, everyone. No sense watching another exciting match on an empty stomach, right?"

"Damn straight!" Eevee squealed before looking at the plate and drooling, Caterpie sighing, "It's a shame Lycanroc can't join us for this. But she does need to prepare herself, so not much we can do about that, is there?"

Currently, the wolf was in a secluded area preparing a great entrance for herself. And specifically for this, she had brought the outfit Caterpie bought for her. She figured it would make this match extra special and also give her a boost in confidence.

She sent a few punches and kicks into the air before thinking, 'I still can't handle extreme pain after all this time, but as long as I think logically, I can win. After all, that's how Caterpie beat Kommo-o.'

She then took a deep breath as her mind added, 'Everyone else has made it this far. I have to do the same, even if it means defeating Eevee's sister. I know she said she was okay with it, but I know she would much rather fight her. But if I lose, I'd better at least do my best.'

Meanwhile, Umbreon was training extra hard as well. While she knew plenty about Eevee and Popplio's fighting styles, she had not yet seen any of Lycanroc's matches. As such, this was the one friend of the brown fox's she knew nothing about. Needless to say, this would not be as easy as if she faced any of the others.

But even with that in mind, she fully intended on winning while she thought, 'I hope you don't hate me for this, Eevee. But you understand that I can't let Lycanroc win, even if she is your friend.'


	49. Chapter 49

Only a couple of minutes remained until Lycanroc and Umbreon were to square off. And while this was certainly intense for everyone, the one who was the most nervous about seeing this was Eevee. After all, she was about to witness a match between her best friend and her older sister. Who should she root for?

On one hand, Lycanroc was a really good friend of hers. If anything, it only made sense for her to cheer on her friend. But for as little as she and Umbreon got along, the black fox was still family. No matter what, they always had to support each other. As much as Umbreon denied it, Eevee could tell she must have cared a little bit about her well-being after the way she helped her out against Drampa.

Regardless, she had little time to think about this as Metapod cleared his throat and exclaimed, "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, I hope you're enjoying your meal! But don't forget, we came to see a match, and it's just about time to start it! But in the meantime, let's introduce our fighters!"

The crowd was truly excited as a member of the Thai crowd whispered, "I've been looking forward to this. Eevee was pretty awesome, but have you seen Umbreon in combat?"

The woman next to him nodded and replied, "Oh yeah. I saw the way she blasted through all three rounds of the qualification tournament like they were nothing," Eevee overhearing this but not even reacting to it like she normally would have.

"In the red corner," Yukiko stated, "Just like Eevee, she hails from Thailand, and she also has a stellar reputation. She even once saved Tokyo when no one else could. With a flawless track record and incredible skills, Umbreon!"

The majority of the crowd cheered wildly as the Japanese fans had not forgotten about her match with Golisopod that had taken place almost half a year ago. And with that, Umbreon somersaulted toward the ring. She then propelled herself into the air and landed perfectly on her feet with her arms up, shifting her gaze over to Eevee.

The brown fox bit her lower lip and wanted to cheer with the rest, but once again, she did not say or do anything. Popplio turned to her with concern but chose not to get involved like he normally did. After all, Eevee had a good reason to be conflicted right now.

"And in the blue corner," Yukiko added, "Coming to us from Canada is a fierce lycan who has proven herself to be a very worthy addition to Tokyo's team of heroes! Originally manipulated by the evil Lugarugan to help him with his own demented agenda, she now fights for the side of good! With amazing skills and paws that could crack rocks, probably, Lycanroc!"

The crowd watched with wonder while rock music played in the background. Lycanroc then entered the area fully dressed in her skull T-shirt and fingerless black gloves. All the while, she walked awkwardly toward the ring with a blank expression on her face, clearly mimicking a zombie.

Caterpie's eyes widened as he exclaimed, "Looking good, Lycanroc!" Popplio nodding and adding, "Oui! A fantastique entrance if I ever saw one!" Wishiwashi joining in.

Eevee looked up and smiled wide, though she did not cheer like the others. As much as she wanted to give Lycanroc here full support, she was still a tad conflicted.

Once Lycanroc made her way to the ring, she planted her claws into the side and used them to pull herself up into the ring. And upon rising to her feet, she pointed toward Umbreon and said in a forced weak tone, "You're going down."

The crowd's excitement grew while one Japanese fan groaned, "I don't know who to root for!" another sighing, "I know what you mean. They've both fought for us before."

Eevee perked up a bit. It was nice to know she was not the only one, and thus she was now fully focused on the fight. At the very least, she wanted to see which of these two would come out on top. No matter what the result, she would just accept it.

Both fighters stood on separate sides of the ring as Yukiko nodded and said, "Well, folks, the combatants are set. And so without further ado, let us begin," ringing the bell.

Umbreon held her ground while she thought, 'I only rush toward my opponents if I know of their skills. I'm still not sure how Lycanroc fights.'

With that, Lycanroc saw an opportunity, allowed her arms to hang freely and sauntered toward the black fox. As such, the parts in question swayed back and forth as Umbreon narrowed her eyelids and thought, 'Oh, I see what she's doing. Clever.'

With that in mind, the black fox raced toward Lycanroc only for her to shift sideways. But just as she was about to ram her paw into Umbreon's cheek, her eyes widened when the black fox lifted up her arm and blocked it. Due to the size and strength of the paw, she did take in some slight pain, but not enough for the attack to do as it was intended.

Before Lycanroc could respond, though, Umbreon took hold of her wrist and threw her over her head, planting the side of her neck into the canvas. The Thai crowd cheered wildly while Lycanroc gasped in pain but pushed herself back up, trying her hardest to look calm.

'No!' she thought with her teeth gritted, 'I will ignore the pain! If I'm to be a true hero, I need to learn overcome this stupid weakness! I'm a rock type! I should be able to handle this!'

Umbreon nodded and said, "That was an interesting approach, but it won't work on me. I hope you don't intend to use that throughout the entire match," as Lycanroc smirked and retorted, "Don't worry, I got much more planned."

The black fox was now on the offensive while she raced toward Lycanroc. However, this time the wolf was ready as she threw her arms forward just in time to pierce her shoulders. She then leapt high above the ring and leaned backward while a purple wind surrounded both her and Umbreon, the Canadian crowd going wild, Umbreon having to admit she was shocked.

"MIDNIGHT SUPLEX!" she exclaimed before planting the back of Umbreon's head into the canvas. She then released her hold and allowed the black fox to collapse before taking her distance with a smile on her face.

The Canadian crowd cheered while Caterpie shouted, "Yeah! Way to go, Lycanroc!" Umbreon springing to her feet and giving Lycanroc a serious look. She could see that the wolf would be a worthy opponent after all. But most of all, this meant that she was a good hero for Tokyo.

Even so, there was no way the black fox would allow her to win. As such, she raced toward Lycanroc again. Only this time, she expected her to try the suplex a second time and thus swerved to the right. However, Lycanroc was ready for this as she held her arm out and shifted forward just enough to hook Umbreon's neck.

She then smirked while a purple wind surrounded that very part. She then swung her body around and sent Umbreon flying toward the turnbuckle, shouting, "CLOTHESLINE OF DARKNESS!"

But just as it looked like Lycanroc had successfully landed another powerful blow, Umbreon threw her arms back as her paws made contact with the pole. A dark aura then surrounded her arms and legs while she spun around and made her body look like a cyclone.

Eevee stared in shock and uttered, "I've never seen that move before," Popplio uttering, "Oh boy. This can't be good."

And sure enough, Umbreon launched herself toward Lycanroc while still spinning and shouted, "SWIRLING NIGHT BLADE!" the wolf leaping to the side in time to avoid taking in the full brunt of the attack. However, her side was still grazed as she clutched onto that spot, wincing in pain.

This gave Umbreon the opportunity she needed, thus she clung to the nearest turnbuckle and flung herself off. As such, Caterpie barked, "LYCANROC, LOOK OUT!"

It was too late as she took the attack to the back and fell forward. The Thai fans went wild while Yukiko stated, "And just as it looks like Lycanroc has the advantage, Umbreon counters with a very impressive move. Though on the upside, at least it didn't put a cut in Lycanroc like the name implies."

Even so, Umbreon took full advantage of this as she mounted herself onto Lycanroc's back and grabbed hold of her chin. The Thai fans cheered louder while she pulled up, Lycanroc trying her hardest not to let the pain get to her.

"Oh my god!" Caterpie groaned, "She's really trying her hardest to tough that out!" Popplio nodding and sighing, "Oui. Though as someone who's seen Umbreon in action before, this doesn't surprise moi, not in the slightest. You should have been there when she fought Golisopod."

He then turned to Eevee and laughed nervously only for the brown fox to nod her head and sigh, "Yeah. Lycanroc has her work cut out for her. I just hope she doesn't go down too easily."

Wishiwashi gave her a brief stare, surprised to hear her speak up in Lycanroc's favour. Like the others, he had not expected her to play favourites.

Even so, he shrugged and barked, "Come on, Lycanroc! Fight it!" as Caterpie added, "Yeah! You took in all kinds of punishment from Palossand and Turtonator and kept fighting to the end! I refuse to believe you could go down this easily!"

Lycanroc's eyes widened as a light smile formed. As such, she was now able to ignore the pain for good while she swung her arms upward. And sure enough, Umbreon was caught off guard when she took the wolf's paws to her ribs.

The Canadian fans cheered when the black fox loosened her hold on Lycanroc's chin. This gave her a golden opportunity to flip herself over and knock Umbreon on her side. She then leapt onto her gut as the purple wind surrounded her fists, the Japanese audience getting really excited.

"Time for another move I haven't used in a while," Lycanroc said before unleashing a slew of punches into Umbreon's face and shouting, "DARKNESS FIST BARRAGE!"

While the wolf's punches were slow, they were certainly effective as Umbreon took in a lot of pain from each one. And while this went on, Yukiko smiled and said, "And as Lycanroc said, this is a move she hasn't used since her match with Lugarugan. And it's just as effective now as it was back then."

But while Caterpie, Popplio and Wishiwashi cheered, Eevee was not so sure. And sure enough, Umbreon was ready for this as she lifted up her paws. However, she was shocked when it seemed Lycanroc had seen this coming. As such, she stopped her assault and leapt backward, distancing herself and allowing the black fox to rise.

Many, including Lycanroc's friends, were surprised to see this while Umbreon rose to her feet and enquired, "Why did you do that just now?"

"Well, as Yukiko said, I once used this move on my ex," Lycanroc explained, "And things were going fine until he blocked the attack and countered. I figured as long as you're gonna get back up anyway, I may as well prevent you from dealing damage."

The crowd was truly impressed as Umbreon folded her arms and said, "Not bad. I could think of a few additional moves you could have tried, but still, not bad. I respect anyone who can learn from past mistakes."

Eevee blinked and thought, 'Why can't she give me credit for things like that?' Lycanroc blushing lightly and saying, "Thanks. I didn't think that was anything special."

The crowd stared in stunned silence until Yukiko said, "Wow, even though they're going at it, they can still be civil. Isn't that just amazing?" Metapod nodding in agreement.

Either way, Lycanroc had to remember the match as she patted her cheeks and thought, 'Right! Stay focused! You've finally gotten the upper hand! Don't let yourself lose it!'

With that in mind, she kept on the defensive while Umbreon did the same. After falling victim to enough moves, neither hero wanted to give the other the advantage back. And once a few seconds passed, Umbreon noticed Lycanroc's stance was a touch sloppy and raced toward her.

Seeing this, the purple wind surrounded the wolf's head as she lowered it and sent it forward, barking, "DARK HEADBUTT!"

However, Umbreon saw this coming and crouched under the attack. She then shifted her leg sideways, connecting a sweep kick and knocking Lycanroc on her back. However, before she could do more, she noticed something off. While the wolf had shown a typical reaction to such a move, she could tell that kick had dealt more damage than it should have.

With that in mind, Umbreon sighed and thought, 'I hate to take advantage of you like this, but I treat all opponents equally.' She then leapt into the air and aimed her knee toward Lycanroc's pelvis while a dark aura surrounded it.

"LYCANROC, GET OUT OF THE WAY!" Caterpie snapped as she gasped and thought, 'Right,' and rolled to the side. Umbreon's eyes widened when her knee hit the canvas instead. And of course, Lycanroc took full advantage of this as she rose to her feet and sent a kick into the black fox's cheek.

"Hey, she did it!" Eevee squealed while she resisted the urge to cheer Lycanroc on, Popplio nodding and adding, "Oui. Maybe she has started to tolerate pain more."

Caterpie shook his head and replied, "No, I don't think that happened. She clearly took in a lot of pain from that. But what she lacks in resistance she makes up for with spirit," Wishiwashi sighing, "If only I had that kind of drive. Maybe then I'd have actually made it this far."

With Umbreon now distracted by the pain in both her head and her knee, Lycanroc saw a perfect opportunity. As such, she somersaulted backward toward the ropes and planted her feet against them with her claws stretched outward.

The majority of the crowd went wild as Yukiko exclaimed, "And with Umbreon looking weak, Lycanroc sets up for her best move! Let's see if this will end it for good!"

'Sorry, Eevee,' the wolf thought before she launched herself off, spun like a drill and barked, "WOLF BULLET!"

Once the move was about to land, Umbreon took a deep breath and leaned backward. Lycanroc's eyes widened when the black fox latched onto her waist and legs. A dark aura surrounded both of them and formed into a twister as Umbreon shouted, "DARK CYCLONE!" redirecting their flight so the wolf's skull made contact with the turnbuckle.

The Thai fans went wild while Caterpie stood up and gasped, "LYCANROC!" the wolf falling to the mat. Now she was unable to hide the pain coursing through her as she clutched onto her skull and rocked back and forth.

Upon seeing this, Umbreon took a deep breath and folded her arms. A part of her hoped that Lycanroc would not try to get up. After all, she respected her and to take advantage of her weakness even further would have felt wrong at this point.

Caterpie seemed to think it too, but his confidence in the wolf returned when she took many deep breaths and pushed herself upright. Her body trembled slightly, but she managed to stop herself after a few seconds and grunted, "I'll admit, that was really something. But if I go down, I'm gonna do my absolute best."

The Canadian fans gave her a round of applause as Yukiko stated, "Despite all the pain she took in earlier, Lycanroc is still ready and raring to go. But will it make a difference? Let's wait and see."

Umbreon smiled briefly before saying in a tone only loud enough for Lycanroc to hear, "Eevee's lucky to have a friend like you," the wolf blinking and turning toward the brown fox. Now she could not help but wonder why the two did not get along better. She could tell that they both clearly cared about one-another, so why could they not show it?

Regardless, she had to think about the match right now. She had just enough strength to keep going for at least a little bit and she was not going to waste this chance.

With that in mind, Lycanroc raced toward Umbreon with her arms stretched back, the purple wind circling her fists. But just as she was ready to send them forward, Umbreon leapt back and performed a handstand. She then rammed her feet hard into the wolf's chin and sent her flying into the air, the crowd staring in awe.

Eevee's eyes widened as she hoped this was not over for Lycanroc, at least not yet. But it seemed so when Umbreon leapt up to her level with the dark aura covering her arms and legs. She then planted her paws into Lycanroc's shoulders and latched her legs around hers. And with all her might, she managed to flip herself and the wolf so their heads faced the canvas.

"SOARING RAVEN!" Umbreon shouted as Lycanroc's skull hit the material hard. Thus for the first time in the entire match, she coughed up blood before the black fox allowed her to collapse.

The Thai fans cheered wildly while everyone else stared in stunned silence. Yukiko nodded and started the ten count as Caterpie got up and spat, "Lycanroc, please tell me you're okay!"

Soon enough, ten seconds were reached before Yukiko rang the bell and stated, "It was close, but Umbreon is our winner!" the Thai fans going wild as the Japanese smiled and gave her a round of applause. After all, she had saved them once, so it would have felt wrong to play favourites.

Eevee blinked and uttered, "Is she going to be-?" before turning and noticing Caterpie race toward the ring. He then leapt onto it and approached Lycanroc, giving her a look of concern.

Umbreon folded her arms and sighed, "Don't worry. Like my sister did when she defeated Drampa, I deliberately held back with that last move. She'll recover, though she may need quite a bit of rest."

The caterpillar nodded and replied, "Thank you," as the others soon ran over to help him carry the wolf out of the ring. After all, she did not need to go to the hospital, but she did not have enough strength to exit the ring on her own just yet.

The group lay her down on a couch while Caterpie smiled and said, "You did a great job out there, Lycanroc," Eevee smiling and turning toward her sister. And sure enough, the black fox had already exited the ring to take a seat of her own, the brown fox's smile still on her face.

"Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention, please!?" Metapod enquired, "The final match of the day is right around the corner! Just like before, our fighters only have ten minutes to prepare!"

With that in mind, both Vikavolt and Honedge got up and headed off to do just that. And all the while, Eevee breathed a sigh of relief and thought, 'Well, at least I don't know either of these two, and since Umbreon will face the winner, I doubt I'll need to study their fighting styles.'

Even so, she planned to do that anyway. As much as she doubted it, there was still a small chance that her sister would lose and she might have to face one of these two in the semi-finals. But deep down, she really hoped that would not be the case. Of all the fighters in this tournament, Umbreon was the one she wanted to face the most.


	50. Chapter 50

This was it. After a long and intense first round, the final match of the day was about to begin. Needless to say, the crowd was beyond excited for this.

Umbreon currently had a platter served to her to make up for the fact that she had not received a meal like everyone else. She bowed her head in thanks but was much more interested in what would happen in the ring. After all, whoever won this match would face her in the next round.

After a minute, Metapod cleared his throat and stated, "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, it's finally time for the last match of the day! I don't know about ay of you, but I think this has been a terrific first round so far! We've seen my son get his first win, a circus performer defeat an aspiring actress or possibly model, the heir to the Adair clan fall and a criminal finally put to justice! But could this next match be anywhere near as exciting as all of those!? Let's find out!"

The crowd's excitement grew as Yukiko pointed to the left and announced, "In the red corner, coming to us from Norway is a mighty bug who is sure to shock and amaze, quite literally! Not only is a he a bug type, but also an electric type!"

Many members of the crowd were intrigued while she continued, "With determination and mandibles of steel, it is my pleasure to introduce Vikavolt!"

The Norwegian fans cheered wildly when the stag beetle flew into the area and performed a few flips in the air. He then landed on his feet with his hands against his hips.

Vikavolt truly was a frightening sight. His shell was blue and he had a large pair of mandibles on the sides of a helmet he wore atop his head, each one matching the length of his torso. They were yellow on the outside and matched the rest of his shell on the inside. They also had spikes attached to the base. He had an orange mouth and thin yellow and white eyes, all of which looked very robotic. His arms and legs were black and quite scrawny. His hands consisted of two little claws each while his feet only had one. Finally, it seemed that he was unable to close his shell due to him having a big wing shaped like a protractor that extended far beyond his waistline.

"So, you think Umbreon may face him?" Eevee enquired as Popplio nodded and replied, "Oui. He certainly looks strong, but you never know. His opponent is a living sword."

And at that moment, Yukiko was ready to announce her presence as she stated, "And in the blue corner, representing Egypt is a sentient sword! She is the granddaughter of Aegislash, a former villain who later changed her ways after falling to the might of Gardevoir and Blaziken. And while this fighter may only have one arm while her grandma had, well, two, she can still pack a serious punch! Give a round of applause for Honedge!"

Many were intrigued when a female staff member walked toward the ring with a long black box. She then opened it up to reveal Honedge currently inside a sheath. The woman then lifted her out and placed her gently next to the turnbuckle as her single eye opened.

With that, she took hold of her sheath and used all her might to propel herself out of it. She performed many slashes in the air before landing firmly on her tip, her hand now clutching to her handle while she said, "Bring it on."

The Egyptian fans went wild as Vikavolt blinked and said, "That was pretty creative. Not bad."

Needless to say, Honedge's appearance was more simple than Vikavolt's. Her arm was more like a long blue cloth with a hand formation at the end of it. Her sky-blue eye was right in the middle of her golden hilt and her blade was just like those from medieval times.

"Thanks for the kind words," the sword said with an implied smile, "But flattery will get you nowhere with me. I hope you're prepared to lose," Vikavolt smirking and retorting, "We'll see about that."

Wishiwashi blinked and uttered, "I don't know about you guys, but they both scare the roe out of me," as Caterpie shook his head and sighed, "It's really hard to believe you were evil once."

Both heroes stood on separate sides of the ring as Yukiko nodded and said, "Well, folks, the combatants are set. Therefor we shall begin," ringing the bell. Vikavolt immediately rose into the air, his wing splitting up and flapping at a rapid pace.

Honedge narrowed her eye and watched him closely. She knew that his flight would likely make him more of a threat. And sure enough, she had the right idea as the stag beetle flew toward her at an amazing speed with his mandibles clamped together and sparks flying from them.

The sword implied a smirk with her eye and immediately leapt to the side just in time to evade the attack. However, she was shocked when Vikavolt continued to move forward until he snapped open the ropes, the crowd gasping.

"Oh my god, that could have been her blade," Eevee uttered while Umbreon looked very intrigued. It seemed this Vikavolt was even stronger than he looked, and considering that he already had an intimidating appearance, that was saying a lot.

And sure enough, Honedge thought the same thing as she immediately used this opportunity to grab onto the beetle's arm. He turned and blinked before she slammed him on his belly, the Egyptian fans cheering while she leapt into the air and positioned herself right over him. She then descended toward him and thought, 'I can't take any chances! I knew he'd be strong, but not this strong!'

Unfortunately for her, Vikavolt had plenty of fight in him as he shifted sideways. As a result, Honedge's blade missed and was now lodged in the mat as her eye widened. As such, she was now vulnerable while the stag beetle smirked and said, "Next time you attempt something like that, make sure the opponent's been weakened first."

The Norwegian crowd cheered wildly when he took hold of her blade with his mandibles. He then used all his might to pry her out of the material before flying into the air and covering his body in electricity. And once he was high enough, he flipped his body around and aimed the sword's handle toward the canvas.

She was unable to respond when he exclaimed, "LIGHTNING CRASH!" a bolt of lightning coming up from his body as he connected the move. He then released his hold and allowed Honedge to collapse before leaping lightly above her.

Electricity then covered his abdomen as he rammed it hard into her gut and leapt away from her. And it seemed like the match might already be over when the sword lay there and her body twitched.

Yukiko nodded and started the ten count while Metapod asked, "Could this be the second-shorted match in Hero Olympics history, folks!? It seems so!"

"You see?" Vikavolt asked tauntingly with his arms folded, "Because I used a much more powerful move, I figured you'd be weak enough not to avoid that. And now you're about to go down more quickly than anyone else in this tournament."

But when he turned his back and Yukiko reached six seconds, she stopped when Honedge pushed herself up with her hand and balanced her blade sideways. As such, the beetle's eyes widened as she spun herself in a circle and flung herself toward him like a frisbee, shouting, "SACRED PINWHEEL!"

Just as the Egyptian crowd was ready to cheer, though, it seemed as if Vikavolt had just enough time to counter while sparks surrounded his mandibles. And once Honedge was ready to strike, he turned around quickly enough for said parts to collide with the blade. Sure enough, the beetle proved to be too strong when he applied more than enough force to send Honedge flying sideways until she found herself lodged into the turnbuckle.

Her eye was wide with terror while Yukiko stated, "And just as it seemed Honedge might get the upper hand, Vikavolt retaliates with a powerful electrified slash of his own. Needless to say, she'll really need to step up her game if she's to turn this around."

"Oh, catfish," Wishiwashi uttered, "Guess we know who Umbreon's gonna face, eh?" as Popplio shook his head and remarked, "Not quite. Don't forget, we've all been in situations like this so far. And no matter what, we were still able to rise up and keep going. For all we know, Honedge might have more up her sleeve or scabbard in this case."

"That's true," Eevee replied, "However, she looks really nervous, like she was really hoping those two blade-based moves of hers would actually work. I really wonder if she has more planned."

Whatever the case, it looked like Vikavolt might still win, the Norwegian crowd anticipating more as he flew toward Honedge. Once again, electricity surrounded his mandibles while he rose them into the air, saying, "It's funny. I heard your grandma was a master at swordplay. So far, you're nothing more than a beginner. Really makes me wonder how you made it this far."

Upon hearing these words, Honedge looked absolutely furious as she retorted, "I AM WORTHY OF THE FAMILY NAME!" before placing a firm grip against the turnbuckle and prying her blade out of it. She then sent it backwards, shouting, "SACRED SWORD!"

Vikavolt gasped in shock when he took a big slash to his gut. As such, green blood spewed out as he backed up slightly, trying his hardest to ignore the extreme pain. Upon seeing this, Umbreon was starting to wonder.

Up to this point, she had thought the same thing Wishiwashi and Eevee did. It really did seem like Honedge was not as ready for the Olympics as her success up to this point implied. But after seeing such an impressive move, it looked like she now stood a chance.

It did not end there when Honedge sent a hard slap into Vikavolt's face. With him distracted, she took hold of his right mandible and lifted herself up, aiming her blade toward his forehead.

"Whoa, now!" Metapod barked, "I don't think I need to tell Honedge that if she kills her opponent, she'll be disqualified!"

However, it seemed that needed to be said as the sword's eye widened. With her guard dropped, Vikavolt took full advantage of this and once again covered his mandibles in electricity. Though surprisingly, Honedge did not take in pain from this.

Even so, this hardly mattered as the beetle threw his head sideways, flinging her back-first into the turnbuckle. And with her distracted, he flew toward her just like he had at the start of the match and exclaimed, "You won't be able to dodge this time! THUNDERBOLT CHARGE!"

Like when he used his suplex earlier, a bolt of lightning seemed to form in his path before he rammed his mandibles hard into Honedge's blade. As such, her eye widened in pain as he wound up applying enough force to knock the turnbuckle off of its hinges. The crowd stared in awe as the object along with the sword then flew away from the ring and landed on one of the tables, breaking it while the audience members stared in horror.

Yukiko went wide-eyed and uttered, "We really should have thought this location through," before Metapod nudged her. As such, she nodded and started a twenty count. After all, Honedge was out of the ring while Vikavolt folded his arms and sighed, "Well, you got a little better near the end, but I was hoping for a better opponent in the first round."

Caterpie watched this and uttered, "Damn. And just think, your sister's gonna have to fight that guy," as Eevee nodded and sighed, "She'll probably kick his ass anyway."

It truly did seem as if Umbreon's opponent had been decided when Honedge did not move this time. She could not even twitch as Yukiko had already made it to nine seconds. Eleven more and this match was over.

But while she was out cold, Honedge remembered long ago when she trained with her mother, a dual-bladed sword with purple arms named Doublade. However, no matter how hard she tried, she could never master her family's skills. She could perform the techniques fairly well, but one thing that was always missing was a power passed down through the generations.

Not only was Honedge a steel type, but also a ghost type. This allowed members of her family to create a dark aura that made their blades stronger when attacking. However, she could never master this and as such, her moves had never been as powerful. If anything, this was likely why Vikavolt was able to overpower her blade with so much ease.

With that in mind, Honedge took a deep breath and thought, 'That's it. This must be my test. Yes. Today's the day I finally master the sacred arts.'

With that in mind, she opened her eye just as Yukiko counted to seventeen, the crowd staring in shock while Vikavolt smirked and thought, 'It's too late. You only have three more-'

However, his thought process came to a halt when Honedge performed a handstand just like before and swung her body around. She closed her eye while doing so and focused hard until finally, a ghostly aura surrounded the tip of her blade. And with only one second left, she hurled herself toward the ring and spat, "SACRED PINWHEEL!"

Luckily, she had timed this perfectly as she made it over the ring a millisecond before Yukiko could count to twenty. As such, the Egyptian fans went wild as Vikavolt covered his mandibles in electricity and swung them sideways into her blade.

"I'm impressed you can still stand, but don't forget what happened-" he grunted only to gasp when Honedge overpowered him, forcing his head to shift sideways. This gave her the advantage she needed as she performed another handstand and sent her blade downward, shouting, "SACRED SWORD!"

This put a big gash down Vikavolt's torso while more green blood spewed out. And with that, he closed his eyes with his arms spread out and fell on his back. The Egyptian crowd was even more ecstatic as Umbreon folded her arms and gave the sword a serious look.

"And not only does Honedge recover, but she also knocks Vikavolt down with her family's best move," Metapod stated while Yukiko had already counted to three.

"Well, you were right," Wishiwashi uttered as Popplio nodded and sighed, "I had a feeling there was more to her. Umbreon will certainly have her work cut out for her."

"Hey, there's no way that's enough!" a Norwegian woman exclaimed, "Vikavolt's really strong! A couple of good hits shouldn't be enough to finish him-"

However, she was cut off when Yukiko reached ten and rang the bell, exclaiming, "Things looked very close for Vikavolt, but in the end, Honedge is our winner!"

The Egyptian crowd cheered even louder than before while Metapod announced, "And that concludes round one, and I gotta say, it's been really exciting for far! But remember, folks, round two starts in only three days! The location of the first match will be posted online once again, so I hope to see you all then!"

With all said and done, Eevee got up and said, "Lycanroc hasn't woken up yet. Umbreon assured us she'd recover soon," as Caterpie shrugged and replied, "Don't worry about it. I'll see to it that she gets home safe and sound. Then she can rest in style," a big smile on his face while the others gave him awkward glances.

And soon enough, everyone was ready to head home as Eevee gave Chespin a call to ask if he had been up to speed with everything. And as it so happened, he had witnessed both matches, including Lycanroc's loss. When he heard she was supposed to heal soon, he felt beyond relieved.

After a bit more talking, the chipmunk stated, "By the way, visiting hours will be ending soon. Litwick and I were thinking maybe we could stop by tomorrow and help you guys train. We figured we may as well be there to help you out, right?"

"That would be wonderful," the fox replied with a grin, "I'm sure Popplio would love it. But are you sure Litwick's okay being away from Noivern?"

"Well, once round two starts, we're gonna return here to check up on him," the chipmunk replied, "Assuming the doctor was right and he'll still be here, but until then, she figured it would be a good idea to spend our free time helping you guys out so you don't meet the same fate."

"Geez, you make it sound like he lost to a villain or died," Eevee groaned as the chipmunk chuckled lightly and said, "But seriously, Eevee, do your best tomorrow. That Decidueye seemed pretty tough to say the least."

The fox nodded and sighed, "Well, at least the crowd won't be against me this time," the two speaking a little bit longer. After a while, she handed the phone over to Popplio who had a good conversation with the chipmunk himself, and as Eevee suspected, he was more than delighted to have him and Litwick help them train.

Soon enough, everyone had returned home. Just as Caterpie's limo stopped in front of his mansion, the caterpillar noticed Lycanroc finally starting to wake up. She opened her eyes and yawned before groaning, "Aw, did I miss the final match?"

Caterpie nodded and said, "Yeah, but look on the bright side. I saved your meal for you," holding up a doggy bag with a light smile.

The wolf chuckled and sighed, "How did I do, anyway? I know I lost, but-" Caterpie sighing, "You were amazing as always. And don't worry. I'll do my absolute best tomorrow for both of us. After all, you're a big part of the reason I even made it to round two."

Lycanroc smiled sweetly as she and the caterpillar suddenly leaned forward. The wolf puckered her lips and pressed them up against the caterpillar's mouth while both closed their eyes. Caterpie's driver saw this through the rear-view mirror and smiled before exiting the vehicle and leaving them alone. After all, it seemed like the two needed a moment.

Meanwhile, Eevee lay on her bed and took a deep breath, thinking, 'Alright, I'm gonna truly earn my victory without help tomorrow. At least I won't have to worry about a judgemental audience. I can fight Decidueye like any other opponent.'

A smile then crossed her face when her mind added, 'I hope you've been up to date with my progress, Mommy. I know you watched all my other matches. And while this wasn't my proudest work, I really hope you saw the good parts at least.'

She then closed her eyes as her mind added, 'Just one more match and then I'll have a shot at facing Umbreon. It makes me nervous, but I think I can handle it.'

During this time, Umbreon decided to check up on Crabrawler in the hospital. Bewear really pulled a number on him and as such, the doctors predicted he would not be awake for the rest of the week.

With that in mind, the black fox sat next to him and smiled, saying, "Don't let this discourage you. You fought better than you ever have before. The next time a villain shows up, I just know you'll be ready."

She then took a deep breath and thought about her match with Honedge. While she had not displayed a lot of skills, she still seemed like a tough opponent to defeat. Umbreon would certainly need to prepare hard for this one.


	51. Chapter 51

The day after round one ended, Eevee and the others decided to head to the club for a quick celebration. After all, three of them had made it to the second round and that was no small feat. Though of course they would all start training as soon as they could when it was done.

The only other friend who could join them was Litwick. As it so happened, Wishiwashi had gotten a call from his partner in Iceland requesting his help with something. Thus he had to take off right away.

Even so, the group would not let this get them down. As such, they all enjoyed a round of drinks as Chespin sighed, "Nothing like a long string of Olympic events to make you realize how much you miss this place."

"Oui," Popplio replied with a nod, "I'm just glad six of us were able to attend. You're looking tres bien, Lycanroc," the wolf nodding and sighing, "Yeah. Eevee, your sister pulled a number on me, but it wasn't enough to keep me down."

Eevee smiled lightly before enquiring, "You're not mad about your loss, are you?" Lycanroc shaking her head and replying, "No. It would be one thing if I lost to a villain, but that was to a fellow hero, let alone the older sister of one of my besties."

Litwick stared at her before she sighed, "You know every one of you is my besty, right?" as Caterpie chuckled, "You sure about that?" nudging her on the side.

Everyone stared in confusion, though that would soon change when Lycanroc gasped, "Right! I almost forgot! Something absolutely amazing happened yesterday after Caterpie and I returned home! You'll never believe it, but we're a couple now!"

Though everyone stared silently, none of them looked shocked, not even Litwick. And after a few seconds, it was made clear why when Eevee shrugged her shoulders and said, "I was wondering when that would finally happen," Popplio folding his flippers and nodding his head.

Caterpie lowered his eyelids and groaned, "Come on! Was it really that obvious!?" the entire group nodding. Though after a while, they all smiled and gave him and Lycanroc congratulations.

"I'm so happy for you," Litwick squeaked as Chespin winked at Caterpie and added, "You sly dog."

Lycanroc blushed lightly and chuckled before turning to Caterpie and saying, "Well, I guess I can see why it was so obvious. You were the one who helped show me the light and you've been nothing but a sweetheart ever since you let me into your mansion. And I don't care what anyone says about bugs. I think you're a real cutie," pinching his right cheek.

The caterpillar's head now looked more like a tomato as he sighed, "Well, I guess I'd rather have you guys not even pretend to be surprised, especially after how Dad reacted. He's already making wedding arrangements and everything. Apparently, he wants us to have both an Earth wedding and a Hero Planet one."

"Wow, two weddings," Eevee uttered with a nervous laugh, "Oh yeah, that's not excessive at all," Chespin scratching the back of his head and adding, "I'm surprised someone like him would approve of someone like Lycanroc. No offence."

The wolf laughed and replied, "Oh, don't worry. I was just as surprised as you. I mean, look at me. I'm not formal. I don't even own a dress. Seriously, I live in a mansion and I don't own a dress."

Caterpie chuckled and replied, "Yeah, but that jacket and glove combo of yours suits you," before holding her hand. Needless to say, this was certainly good news, and they needed it with Noivern still in the hospital.

After a few seconds, Chespin asked, "So, you all feel ready for your matches in three days?" as Eevee replied, "Yeah. As long as I'm not booed by my own fans again, I'll be fine."

Popplio nodded and added, "Oui. That Bewear seems frightening, but I faced a turtle with fire powers. I can handle this."

The others then turned to Caterpie who sighed, "Well, I don't know. That Scorchicken is pretty scary," Lycanroc smiling sweetly and patting him on the shoulder. That act alone gave him a slight boost in confidence. As long as the others believed in him, he would do his best.

With all said and done, the group finished their drinks before heading off and train. Chespin and Litwick both agreed to help Eevee and Popplio, and now that they knew Caterpie and Lycanroc were a couple, they figured they would much rather be alone for their training. And that suited them fine.

And so for the next three days, everyone still competing underwent lots of preparation. Eevee and Popplio even teamed up to take on Chespin and Litwick together and ultimately won with a combination of Flying Fox Wheel and Circus Ball. Needless to say, they could not have been more confident even though they knew how tough their opponents would be.

And of course, Umbreon was preparing extra hard. Though due to her opponent being made of steel, she spent most of her time using spare metal parts at a factory as punching bags. Due to them being leftover, the owner had no problem with this, especially since his daughter happened to be a big fan of the black fox.

After delivering a few punches and taking in no pain to her knuckles, she smiled as she knew she was ready for this. She was determined to win the entire tournament not just for herself but for Crabrawler.

Of course, many of the other contestants were hard at work as well. Scorchicken was currently in the mountains kicking rocks vigorously. And after having put various cracks all over them, she knew she was prepared for round two.

Decidueye was currently sparring with Torracat as she sent various slashes at him, hissing, "Just watch! I'll totally beat you this time!"

"I don't think so!" the owl retorted jokingly while the two kept at it. Needless to say, he looked forward for his match with Eevee, especially after seeing how tough she really was despite her size and type.

Of course, Honedge was readying herself as well. She did not want another close call like the ones she dealt with when she fought Vikavolt. Currently, she was sharpening her blade on a stone as she thought, 'You may have a perfect winning streak, Umbreon, but that's gonna change really soon. Now that I've finally mastered the Arthur family power, I can't lose.'

Though strangely enough, the only fighter not training was Bewear. For some reason, he had spent all of his free time going to various clubs and having fun. Was he overconfident or was he really too good to train? Either way, this may very well have been good news for Popplio.

All three days seemed to fly by as it was now time for round two. This time, everyone was to head to the Tokyo National museum for the first match. Metapod found that fitting for his son, though why was anyone's guess.

Either way, the group, minus Chespin and Litwick who were at the hospital, arrived an hour early as Eevee sighed, "Oh man. At least the last place gave us dinner and a show. What am I gonna do for an hour in such a boring place?" Caterpie sighing, "Nice to know my match is top priority."

Lycanroc snickered and patted him atop the head, Popplio linking his flipper to Eevee's arm and suggesting, "You can walk around with moi. Maybe if we're together, it'll be less boring."

The fox shrugged and replied, "Maybe," before the group headed inside. While Caterpie and Lycanroc were headed off to the ring's location, in which he would fight on an actual ancient wrestling ring used as an exhibit, Eevee and Popplio decided to pass the time by looking around.

Umbreon had come ahead of them and was currently looking at the ring in question, which had replaced the ancient beast slab after it was sent to Hero Planet for safe keeping. She took a deep breath and thought, 'And just think. The power to enslave all of mankind used to rest here. I wish I could have seen the slab up close before they moved it, though.'

At that moment, Scorchicken entered as well before noticing the black fox and asking, "What are you doing here so soon? You don't have a match to prepare for."

"I know," Umbreon replied, "I just like artifacts related to fighting. They have so many interesting stories to tell. For instance, did you know this very ring was the first one Pikachu fought in?"

"Is that so?" Scorchicken replied with her eyes wide with shock, "Why would they have us fight here of all places? You'd think they'd want to avoid damaging it," Umbreon shrugging her shoulders and replying, "Well, everything in the Hero Olympics is supposed to be a spectacle, so maybe that's why."

Before they could continue their conversation, though, audiences finally started to line up and sit at the bleachers, the chicken smirking and saying, "Well, better get ready. Good luck in your fight today."

Umbreon smiled lightly and replied, "Yeah, you too," before noticing Caterpie and Lycanroc approaching. As such, she headed to the bleachers and thought, 'Good, she is up and about. I was starting to wonder if I really applied as little pressure as I thought I did.'

The only reason she did not feel like talking to the wolf was because of a strange fear she had at the moment. She was worried that if she tried talking to any of Eevee's friends, they would likely ask her the same question Crabrawler asked her a few times. And while she did not completely know why, she did not wish to answer this question yet, no matter who asked it.

Upon arrival, Caterpie smiled at Lycanroc and said, "Well, I'm off to prepare. I'm sure you'd rather look around or take a seat, right?"

The wolf shook her head and replied, "Not this time. I wanna help you with your entrance, especially now that your dad's not involved."

The caterpillar could not have been happier right now. After all the years, he finally felt rich. As such, he took her paw and walked with her toward a room that had been cleared out specifically for him, Scorchicken heading into another room on the opposite side of the area.

All the while, Eevee and Popplio both looked bored out of their minds as the seal sighed, "I have to confess, I've never actually been inside one of these before. Now I see why you hate them."

The fox nodded and stated, "I mean, all this stuff is very interesting, but I'd rather look at these online. There's only one exhibit I care about right now."

The seal grinned as he knew exactly what she meant. As such, both decided to head to the fight area and claim some seats. But while on the way, Eevee spotted one particular room and said, "Wait."

Popplio gave her a look of confusion before seeing what she meant. As it so happened, there was an entire area dedicated to the greatest heroes of all time simply known as the hall of heroes. Due to there having been so many over the ages, this was of course the biggest room in the entire building, and Eevee found herself fascinated.

Naturally, the most impressive statues were of the Mach and Adair families. However, Eevee was most interested in the section dedicated to her family. All six of her predecessors were on display, her mother's statue looking especially nice. But the one that caught her attention was most was of the first member of her family to fight evil, Sylveon.

Popplio noticed this and said, "Wow, every member of your family is beau," Eevee blushing lightly and asking, "Even me?" with a devious smirk on her face.

The seal's cheeks turned bright pink when suddenly, the fox noticed a message under Sylveon's statue. She wiped away some dust and read it over, her eyes and mouth wide with shock as she uttered, "Oh my god."

"Quoi?" Popplio asked before reading it over himself, gasping, "Sacre bleu!"

There was certainly a reason for their shock. As it so happened, Sylveon was the second super powered being to become a hero. Not only that, but she and Pikachu used to scour the globe and fight evil together, gathering more allies as they went along. While the fox had been told of her greatness, she never would have imagined this.

"My great-great-great-great grandma was the mighty Pikachu's ally," Eevee uttered, "That is so cool! I never knew our family was so important! I wonder if the others were like that!"

Reading over some more historical notes, she found that Glaceon used to fight alongside Pikachu's son, Raichu. And after that, Espeon and his son, Pichu, worked side-by-side. But after that, this was no longer the case. It seemed as if no one knew why the families eventually stopped. It made sense for Leafeon and Flareon, but why Jolteon? Hero School, let alone heroes being assigned to different areas, was not an actual concept yet.

Whatever the case, Eevee beamed and said, "And just think, I might get to join them someday. I already know Umbreon will, but just imagine."

"Oui," Popplio replied with a smile of his own, "After all you've done, you deserve it," before looking at a nearby clock and reminding the fox that they only had a half-hour left.

And with that, they soon entered the area and took a seat in the bleachers. It felt strange that only the two of them were seated together at the moment. But they simply shrugged and accepted it since, at the very least, they would see Caterpie and Lycanroc soon.

And with everyone seated, Metapod smiled and exclaimed, "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, it won't be long until round two of the Hero Olympics tournament begins! We had a great, intense first round, but here's hoping this one will be even better, especially since we got some amazing fighters going head-to-head! My son, for instance, will take on the heir to the Torch family! We have a circus performer facing off against a teddy bear who's anything but cute! We got the surprisingly powerful Eevee facing an owl who's a lot more energetic than his appearance implies! And all of it will end with Eevee's sister going up against a living sword with spiritual powers!"

"It's still a bit of a wait, but if you all hang in there, it'll be worth it," Yukiko stated, "Though this round will work differently from round one. Since there are only four matches today, we will change locations after each one as opposed to two. But also, the break between each match will be two hours as opposed to one."

Eevee nodded and smiled, saying, "So we'll have more time to relocate," as Popplio beamed and added, "Bien. That'll give me more time to prepare for my match with Bewear."

He then turned toward the bear who was seated across from him and scowled. He would make sure that he did not meet the same fate as Crabrawler. After all, he felt that he had seen enough of Bewear's skills to be ready for this.

During this time, Caterpie had finished sparring with Lycanroc as he smiled and said, "I'm ready for this," the wolf nodding and replying, "I have no doubt about that."

She then passed him his golden headband and asked, "So, I just hold this boombox, right?" lifting up that very object as the caterpillar nodded and replied, "Yep. I have the rest of the entrance covered."

Soon enough, it was finally time when Yukiko exclaimed, "Alright, ladies and gentlemen, it's time to introduce our fighters! In the red corner is a hero with a less than stellar record up until now! Despite his lack of size and strength, he has defeated Kommo-o and proven himself a good fighter! Hailing from Hero Planet, Caterpie!"

The crowd actually cheered wildly this time while rock music played in the background. Butterfly servants entered the area and rolled out a red carpet as Caterpie marched toward the ring, looking more confident than ever before while Lycanroc followed him and held the boombox high in the air.

"Wow!" Eevee squealed with a big grin, "He looks so cool!" Popplio nodding and barking, "Tres bien, Caterpie!"

The caterpillar then leapt toward the ring and flipped vertically while curled into a ball. And when he retracted to a more normal state, he performed a handstand as the crowd's excitement grew. They could not wait to see him fight again.

Once everyone calmed down, Yukiko added, "And in the blue corner is the Texas Phoenix! She has so far defeated Noivern and now she steps up to challenge the chairman's son! With fire both inside and out, Scorchicken, everyone!"

The American fans cheered wildly when the chicken raced toward the ring with her cowgirl outfit on again. She then performed a few somersaults and flips with her hands and feet on fire. And once she was close enough, she leapt into the air and spun like a twister, spreading her knees out after landing. She then stood upright and smirked at Caterpie.

Caterpie tensed up slightly but remembered how well he had done against Kommo-o. As such, he took a deep breath and smiled, saying, "That was a nice entrance. I've been looking forward to this match."

"Same here," Scorchicken replied, "I hope you surprise me just as much as you surprised Kommo-o. After all, Noivern was a good challenge. It would be mighty disappointing if you don't provide a good challenge too."

The caterpillar nodded and thought, 'I'm not sure if I'm as good as Noivern, but I will do the best I can.'

With all said and done, the two fighters headed to separate sides of the ring. Scorchicken threw off her outfit as the American fans were even more excited. They could not wait to see her in action once again, though like her, they hoped that Caterpie would make for a worthy opponent. At least then if she won, it would be more impressive.

"Well, folks, it would seem the combatants are set," Yukiko stated, "And so, without further ado, let us begin!" ringing the bell and signalling the start of the match.


	52. Chapter 52

With the match started, Scorchicken wasted no time racing toward Caterpie. She did not care that he was the chairman's son. As far as she was concerned, he was a new test to see if she was worthy of the championship belt.

Seeing her closing in, Caterpie took a deep breath and thought, 'Alright, use strategy,' before noticing something he could do and whipping out his string. He then attached it to her arm and reeled himself in, shouting, "STRINGSHOT FISHING LINE!"

The chicken's eyes and beak widened when he proceeded to swing himself around her arm thus tying the string all the way around it. However, he made sure to stop at her wrists since he knew her flames only covered her hands and feet.

He then landed in front of her and used all his might to force her downward, her chin hitting the canvas while the crowd cheered wildly. He then leapt onto her back and pulled her arm upward, his eyes sparkling all the while. He could not believe he had just successfully pulled that off, especially against someone this powerful.

As Scorchicken winced from the pain, Yukiko stated, "In an incredible display, Caterpie gets an early lead thanks to his mighty Stringshot. Not only does he have Scorchicken in a submission hold, but he also made sure the string would not cover her hand as she could easily melt the material if he had."

"Yeah, isn't he amazing?" Metapod enquired with a light tear, "He makes me so proud!" Yukiko smiling sweetly and patting him on the back.

"Way to go, Caterpie!" Lycanroc exclaimed with a grin, Eevee and Popplio's jaws dropped. While they had faith in him before, they did not expect such a strategy to work on Scorchicken.

But just as soon as Caterpie's advantage came, it seemed like it might leave him when the chicken gritted her teeth and planted her palm against the mat. She then pushed herself upright while the crowd gasped. Even the American fans were not so sure about this.

"Wait, what is she doing?" Eevee uttered, "That must be causing her more pain, right?" Popplio nodding and replying, "Oui. That is certainly a rash move on her part."

Regardless, she ignored this and smirked, saying, "Not bad," before allowing herself to fall backward. Caterpie's eyes widened when the back of his head hit the mat and thus he released his hold on Scorchicken and rolled backward. However, he noticed a slight opportunity to get the upper hand back as she was busy shaking the pain off of her arm.

'Damn, how can someone so small hurt me that much?' she thought only for her eyes to widen when he latched his string to her back. He then leapt up into the air and reeled himself in, shouting, "STRINGSHOT ASTEROID!"

His skull then made contact with the back of the chicken's neck as she gasped and fell flat on her face. The Japanese fans once again went wild as a girl shouted, "I can't believe how much he used to suck!"

"I know, right!?" a boy replied with a big smile, "He's so cool now! After the way Scorchicken beat Noivern, I didn't think he'd do this well! Go, Caterpie!"

The caterpillar smiled lightly but tried not to let this distract him. He actually had an early lead over a member of the Torch family and there was no way he would lose it. With that in mind, he flipped toward her while in the form of a ball and rammed his tail into her back, leaping back and distancing himself from her.

Chespin and Litwick both watched this from the hospital and tried their hardest not to cheer loudly. After all, they had to be quiet, but they were giving him a round of applause in their heads. Even they could not believe how well he was doing.

When Scorchicken rose to her feet, she blinked and thought, 'Wow. He really is a good challenge. But even so, I have to remember what I'm fighting for. I want to be the first member of the Torch family to win the Olympics. I'll have to kick things up a notch if I'm gonna achieve that.'

With that in mind, she raced toward Caterpie with her feet on fire. When she got close, he immediately dodged to the right and sent his tail into her ankle. However, now was the chicken's moment to get the upper hand as she lit her foot on fire and sent a roundhouse into his face. As such, his eyes widened while he rolled away from her and into the turnbuckle.

The American crowd went wild while Yukiko stated, "And Scorchicken counters with a strong roundhouse. Can Caterpie get the advantage back or did he just lose the only chance he would have?" Metapod glaring at her as she sighed, "You know it's my job to be neutral, right?"

Lycanroc bit her lower lip and uttered, "Are you okay?" the caterpillar shaking the back off of his head and replying, "Yeah, I'll be fine. One hit's not gonna take me down, not as I am now."

However, he realized he would need to act fast when the chicken leapt toward him with her legs out. With that in mind, he thought, 'What would Eevee or Popplio do? Wait! I got it!'

He leapt up just in time for Scorchicken to hit the turnbuckle as opposed to him. Her eyes widened when he flipped himself over and rammed his skull into her chest, causing her to gasp as she fell on her back. He then leapt behind her and latched his string to her neck, shouting, "STRINGSHOT NOOSE!"

The Japanese crowd went wild once more as they still could not believe he of all heroes was dominating. While his victory over Kommo-o was impressive, he still had to work hard and deal with a lot of pain to achieve it. And yet Scorchicken, who had gone so far as to injure Noivern's wing, was actually having trouble.

But while even Caterpie himself was still trying to wrap his head around this, Lycanroc knew exactly what had happened. This was all because he had much more confidence in himself than ever before. Now that he had experienced victory once, he could now think straight and come up with tactics to make up for his lack of physical strength. Now there really was a chance that he could win.

Unfortunately for him, though, Scorchicken seemed less worried after a few seconds. She then smirked and wheezed, "You know, your submission hold earlier was smart. But you seem to have forgotten a step this time."

Caterpie's eyes widened when he realized exactly what she meant. But it was too late as she placed a firm grip against the silk choking her and lit her hands on fire. As a result, the material started to melt while the fire moved all the way along it, soon reaching Caterpie's mouth. As a result, he cried out in pain and shot a flame out of that very spot.

Scorchicken took full advantage of this as she propelled herself into the air and flipped backward, planting her foot into Caterpie's skull. Then with him lying on his stomach, she lay on her back and wrapped her legs around his neck, saying, "And unlike me, I doubt you'll be able to escape from this."

"And Scorchicken not only escapes but turns Caterpie's tactic against him with a figure-four headlock!" Yukiko announced, "But since Caterpie can't burn his way out of this, can he escape!?" as Lycanroc nodded and barked, "Come on, Caterpie! You should be able to get out of this!"

The caterpillar nodded and narrowed his eyelids, grunting, "You're right. I made a mistake binding your head with my string, but that doesn't mean I'm gonna lose! I've spent too much of my life as a loser who relied too much on my fame, but not anymore!"

With that in mind, he tilted his head upward while the crowd winced. They could hear the strain on his tiny neck as Popplio snapped, "What are you doing!? You're just hurting yourself!"

"True, but this might be his best option," Eevee replied when she pointed at where he was aiming, "Like Scorchicken, I think he plans to use his natural abilities to escape from this."

This seemed to be the case when he unleashed his string and bound it to the turnbuckle. Scorchicken's eyes widened as he used all his might to reel himself inward. As such, he and the chicken were pulled into the air while he swerved to the right and lengthened the string. As a result, the chicken was directly over the opposite turnbuckle.

The Japanese crowd was beyond ecstatic while Caterpie released his string and allowed himself and Scorchicken to fall. And soon enough, her back hit the top of the pole hard as she cried out in pain and released her hold. After having taken so much pain, the caterpillar needed a while to recover, but even so, he had a look of pride on his face since he still could not believe how many amazing moves he had pulled off.

Scorchicken grunted in pain and pushed herself away from the pole, saying, "I have to admit, I wasn't sure if you really would be as big of a challenge as Noivern. And yet so far, you're giving me more of a run for my money. What you lack in strength you make up for in skill. That's pretty amazing."

Caterpie nodded and replied, "Well, to be fair, I had some great influences in my life to help me with that," as he smiled at Lycanroc followed by Eevee and Popplio. And of course, all three had happy looks as well while the fox gave him a thumb up.

Scorchicken smirked and added, "Even so, I still fully intend to win. Don't think for a minute that I'm gonna let up just because of some nice tricks."

She then sped toward Caterpie as he once again whipped out his string. However, the chicken was ready this time, thus she lit her hands on fire and used a karate chop to burn the material. It seemed that Caterpie had a countermeasure planned, though, when he leapt to the side at the exact moment she got close and kicked her in the shoulder.

Scorchicken ignored the pain and sent her elbow into his side. This left him vulnerable as the chicken rested her arm against the top of his head and allowed herself to fall, slamming his chin into the canvas. The American crowd went wild while she wrapped the same arm around his neck and held tightly.

Caterpie's eyes widened while Yukiko stated, "And Scorchicken has him in a more normal headlock after slamming him to the mat! Though how did that not cost her energy?" Metapod explaining, "It's quite simple. See, the type of slam moves the Torch family can't risk using a lot are those that require them to lift up their opponents. Scorchicken did not actually lift Caterpie up and therefor she could use that move without any repercussions."

He then teared up lightly and gasped, "I just hope she doesn't hurt him too much!" Yukiko letting out a sigh and groaning, "Don't quit your day job."

Caterpie tried using his string to escape, but Scorchicken was ready this time as she used her free arm to form a fist and hold it in front of the material. The crowd gasped when she grinned and melted it with her flames, sending a hard punch into Caterpie's face.

"Oh shit!" Eevee gasped, "What can he do now!?" as Popplio tapped his chin and replied, "I'm sure there's some way he can get out of that. It's just a shame his arms are so short and weak otherwise he could at least try to pry her arm off."

It certainly did not look like things would improve when Scorchicken used this chance to send more punches into the same spot. This caused the caterpillar's head to come open while green blood emerged. And with his eyes only half-open now, it truly seemed as if his advantage would not return.

"Now that I've seen you evade me enough, I know your tricks," Scorchicken quipped while delivering another two punches, "That string makes it easier for you to evade your opponents. But now that I've given you no way to use it, you'll need to find a new way to escape, assuming you have a way."

At first, Caterpie could not help but wonder if he really could. But after another three punches, he noticed that Scorchicken sounded like she had just challenged him to find a way out of her hold, but why? He could tell she was a good sport, but he also knew of her background and figured she of all fighters would want to win this more than anyone else.

Even so, he knew he had to find a way out of this when he saw Lycanroc looking scared. He did not wish for all that hard work to go to waste. Even if he lost in the end, he would still do his absolute best.

After taking in one last punch, he fumed and grunted, "Alright, I'm gonna try something Machop was famous for pulling off on several occasions!" the crowd gasping in shock when he spun his body around. And much to everyone's surprise, this was more than enough to force Scorchicken to release her hold. With that, Caterpie flipped himself around and rammed his tail into her skull before whipping out his string and binding it to her neck.

"Did you already forget I can easily get out of this?" she grunted only for the caterpillar to place a firm grip on the string and bend backward. As such, he lifted up the chicken and rammed the back of her head into the canvas, shouting, "STRINGSHOT SUPLEX!"

The Japanese fans went wild while Lycanroc breathed a sigh of relief, thinking, 'I knew you could find a way,' Eevee and Popplio giving him a round of applause.

Chespin and Litwick could not contain their cheers as they were soon shushed by a nearby nurse. As such, they clasped their hands over their mouths with big smiles still on their faces. Now they wished they could have been there so they could cheer to their hearts' content.

It did not end there when Caterpie proceeded to bind Scorchicken's ankles in place. He then proceeded to lift her up again and send her back into the canvas, exclaiming, "STRINGBOMB!"

"And after taking in an onslaught of punches, Caterpie has gotten the advantage back with his own versions of a suplex and a powerbomb!" Yukiko exclaimed as Metapod nodded and added, "It just goes to show that size isn't everything."

Caterpie did not wish to allow Scorchicken to put him in another spot like she had him in before. As such, he leapt high into the air and unleashed his string into her chest. He then rolled up into a ball and descended toward her, shouting, "STICKY BALL OF YARN!" the string forming that exact shape. And thus the chicken was unable to react when she took the sphere to her face, coughing up blood for the first time in the match.

The American fans stared in shock as Eevee squealed, "YOU RULE, CATERPIE!" before hugging Popplio, "He might actually win!"

Caterpie took many deep breaths while Scorchicken's head was tilted to the side. With that in mind, Yukiko started the count. Was Eevee right? Had Caterpie actually won?

After six seconds, it seemed this was not the case when Scorchicken sprang back to her feet and let out a few breaths of her own. Caterpie tensed up while the chicken narrowed her eyelids and thought, 'Well, I can say with the utmost honesty that I've now gotten the challenge I wanted. But don't think for a minute that you've won. You're a good fighter, but I'm gonna win this no matter what.'

Once both stopped breathing, the caterpillar's fear left him when Lycanroc barked, "Keep it up! You came very close back there! I think you know how much more she can take!"

With that in mind, Caterpie nodded and watched as Scorchicken raced toward him. He proceeded to unleash his string only for her to prepare a karate chop like before. However, he had expected her to try this. As such, he raced forward with his head lowered and retracted the material, ramming his skull into her shin.

The Japanese crowd cheered wildly while Caterpie took hold of Scorchicken's leg and grunted, "You're not the only one with impressive submission holds!" as he used all his might to twist that very part and cause her to fall on her side.

But while it seemed like the chicken would not get the upper hand back, she smirked and said, "Not bad, but you'll need more strength than that to make such a move work." Thus she swung her leg upward as he released his hold and flew high above the ring.

The American crowd watched in anticipation while Scorchicken performed a handstand and propelled herself high into the air. Her feet caught flame and formed a phoenix head as she shouted, "PHOENIX VOLCANO!" striking the caterpillar hard in the gut. Thus he coughed up blood and flew higher.

With that, both fighters descended as Caterpie flipped over and fell on his back. Scorchicken, meanwhile, landed perfectly on her feet while the American crowd went wild, Yukiko shouting, "And after taking in all sorts of pain, Scorchicken responds with what I can only describe as a combination of Roaring Phoenix and Sky Uppercut!"

She then started the ten count as Metapod gasped, "Son, can you move!?" Lycanroc barking, "Come on! It can't be over yet!"

However, after the onslaught of punches Caterpie took in earlier, this one kick was more than enough to take him out. As such, Yukiko soon reached ten seconds and rang the bell, exclaiming, "And after giving us an incredible performance, Caterpie just couldn't handle the might of the Texas Phoenix! Therefor Scorchicken has advanced to the semi-finals!"

The American crowd cheered wildly while the Japanese stared in silence. However, in the end, they ultimately accepted this. After all, Caterpie had come closer than they would have ever expected, even after his win over Kommo-o.

Lycanroc immediately rushed into the ring and asked, "You okay?" as Scorchicken stared and uttered, "Did I go too far again?"

However, Caterpie managed to open his eyes as he weakly said, "It's fine. I should be okay soon. I just need a little rest," before closing his eyes again. As such, Lycanroc knew that he needed at least some medical treatment, so when medics rushed in with a stretcher, she gently rested him on it and kissed his forehead.

"You did a terrific job," she said with a grin, Scorchicken nodding with her arms folded. The wolf then turned to the others then back to her boyfriend being taken away from the area to be loaded up into an ambulance outside.

Eevee was unsure what to say to this, but Popplio knew it would be wrong to guilt-trip her into staying. As such, he nodded and gave her a supportive smile, knowing she would at least watch them on a TV in the hospital. As such, she smiled and raced off to join Caterpie.

"So it's just the two of us today," Eevee uttered as Popplio shook his head and replied, "Well, you may be the only one cheering for moi in the bleachers, but I know the others will still see the match. That's all I need to know."

The fox nodded with a light smile and replied, "Yeah. Besides, you're gonna kick that creepy teddy's ass anyway," nudging him on the side.

"And that concludes the first match of round two!" Yukiko exclaimed while Metapod resisted the urge to head to the hospital along with Lycanroc, "And what an exciting match it was! But remember, we still got three more, and the second one will take place right here!"

She then pointed at the location of an aquarium, Popplio beaming and saying, "This just got even better," as Eevee squealed, "Oh yeah! Now Bewear won't stand a chance!"

However, the bear did not look alarmed in the slightest. Instead, he had a wicked smirk on his face since he found this to be the perfect opportunity to beat the seal at his own game. But would he be able to pull that off?

That would have to wait as everyone was ready to head off to the aquarium. After Popplio's amazing victory over Lurantis, this was truly one of the more highly anticipated matches of the day.


	53. Chapter 53

It had come to a point where Eevee and Popplio were the only heroes of Tokyo left in the tournament. With this in mind, both fully intended to win their matches no matter what. For all they knew, they could possibly end up facing each other in the finals.

The two had arrived at the aquarium an hour and a half before the seal's match was to begin. Eevee took a deep breath and looked around, uttering, "It still feels so weird that it's just the two of us right now. And you need to head off and prepare, right?"

Popplio nodded and replied, "Oui. It really is for the best that I get ready for this. But you'll be fine on your own, exacte?"

"Of course," the fox said with a light grin, "I mean, I am independent. It's not like I always need you guys around whenever I leave the house."

She then took a deep breath and added, "Besides, that Bewear is terrifying. After the way he beat Crabrawler, I can already tell he's probably worse than Lurantis. So I'd rather you head off and train, maybe even give us another incredible entrance."

"Oh, don't worry, mon ami," Popplio quipped with a proud grin, "I already got mon entrance set up. This is an aquarium, and I've heard the ring will be floating atop the water of one of the show pools. That's all I need to know."

Eevee beamed and squealed, "I can't wait! And at the very least, the others will still get to see it from the hospital, so it's not like they'll miss out, right?"

Popplio nodded and headed off, Umbreon having stood nearby to listen in on their conversation. She was glad to hear her sister at least treat this logically while she walked off and thought, 'That was very mature of you, Eevee. You really are growing up.'

A light smile formed on her face, but like every other one, it only lasted a few seconds. What mattered to her right now, though, was the upcoming match. Bewear had defeated Crabrawler, and she wanted to see if Popplio really was good enough to beat him. After all, he was the only one who she had seen potential in at first due to his logical way of fighting.

Before that, though, she figured she may as well look around. With more than an hour to spare, it would have been far too boring to just wait in the bleachers.

As she looked around, she noticed a crab tank and looked at it for a few seconds. It made her think of her ally in the hospital. All she could do right now was hope that he would wake up in time to see her match with Honedge.

Eevee, all the while, looked at various different sea creatures. But while doing so, she bumped into Umbreon and uttered, "Oh, sorry," her eyes widening as she gave her sister an awkward stare.

Umbreon turned to her briefly, tension filling the air. She then blinked and said, "It's been a while since we last went to an aquarium, hasn't it?"

The brown fox could not believe what she had just heard. Umbreon's words were not in the least bit condescending. It sounded like she was trying to start a civil conversation. And in a way, it felt nice.

As such, Eevee smiled lightly and looked at the crab tank before replying, "Yeah, it has. I remember how we used to beg Mom to take us. It always took a while, but she always loved it. She didn't have to pretend for our sake."

Umbreon nodded and sighed, "Sometimes I think it's her fault that it took you so long to improve, but I'll admit, it was fun," Eevee frowning and retorting, "There you go again! Taking a pleasant conversation and turning it into an insult! Seriously, what happened!? We used to get along so well when we were kids!"

Umbreon bit her lower lip before turning toward her sister and retorting, "You wanna know what happened!? You refused to grow up! You spent your whole life thinking you were better than you actually were! The fact that you somehow made it into the Olympics let alone past the first round feels like nothing short of a miracle!"

Eevee stared at her sister with light tears in her eyes. However, she refused to let her see her this way and thus she turned and fled from the area without another word. And while she fled, Umbreon folded her arms and sighed, "I'm so sorry, Eevee. I wish I could tell you why I'm doing this."

With an hour to spare before the match began, Eevee had little to do but pace and look at a few other displays. She noticed an area dedicated to dolphins as she shrugged and said, "Yeah, you guys are cute, but you've got nothing on seals."

She then smiled and thought, 'Yeah. Just because we're cute and small doesn't mean we can't win this. First Popplio will show that bear how much of a badass he is and then I'll teach Umbreon not to underestimate me anymore!'

She then headed off to the bleachers, no longer feeling like looking around. She wanted to be among the first to sit down, but she was not even completely sure why.

And so the next hour passed by and the seats were filled. Only ten minutes remained now while Umbreon sat far from where Eevee was seated and folded her arms. Though for some reason, she had a look of uncertainty on her face.

Though much like Popplio said earlier, the match was set to take place in a big pool used for dolphin shows and the like. The ring floated right in the centre of the area with bindings to keep it from vibrating or shifting around on the water's surface.

While this went on, Popplio had finished all the training he needed to and was now setting up his entrance. He smiled and thought, 'This is gonna be the best one yet. I really hope everyone sees this. I'm gonna make it to the semi-finals and so is Eevee, I just know it.'

Meanwhile, Bewear continued to put in no effort to prepare himself for the match. He had an entrance planned but had not trained for even a second. Whatever the reason, this only increased Popplio's chances of winning.

And soon enough, the remaining ten minutes passed as Metapod exclaimed, "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, it's time for the second match of round two!" the crowd getting restless, "We had quite the first match, but could it possibly get more exciting!? We're about to find out!" all the while thinking, 'I hope Lycanroc's taking good care of Caterpie in the hospital right now. That Scorchicken was tough!'

Yukiko nodded and pointed to the left, announcing, "In the red corner, hailing from France is the only hero of Tokyo with a track record that's as impressive as Eevee's! He defeated Lurantis despite the odds being stacked against him, and he's gonna show us even more of his outstanding skills! Everyone, give a round of applause for Popplio!"

The area erupted with cheers and applause until everyone noticed the seal was nowhere to be seen. They all looked around as Eevee blinked and uttered, "Where is he?"

Yukiko seemed to wonder the same thing and called out, "Popplio, if you don't show up in ten minutes, you'll be-"

She was cut off when suddenly, the seal emerged from under the water with his nose pointed upward like he was trying to bump a ball with his nose. He then dove back under and swam around, leaping into the air like a dolphin every so often. Everyone watched in amazement while he performed more tricks before leaping into the ring, standing atop his tail and bowing to the cheering crowd.

"Well, that was quite the entrance!" Yukiko stated, "Even though a ramp was provided for him to use to get to the ring, he decided to use the pool to put on a real show for us! I guess it only makes sense considering he used to work at a circus!"

Popplio smiled at Eevee while she clapped and whistled every few seconds. However, the one he was happiest to see among the crowd was Primarina who waved to him and blew him kisses. She was so proud of him right now that she could not wait for the fight to begin. Part of her was even considering making wrestling matches a part of the family's circus acts.

Once the crowd calmed down, Yukiko pointed to the left and added, "And in the blue corner, hailing from this very country is a cute but deadly creature of the forest! He took care of Crabrawler in the first round and I bet he fully intends to do the same to Popplio! Give it up for Bewear!"

Unlike before, the Japanese crowd also gave the bear a round of applause, especially after having gained respect for him. Though they were surprised when he floated toward the ring with an inner tube. However, it was made slightly less embarrassing by its black colour scheme and spikes all around the sides.

Metapod narrowed his eyelids at the sight of this and sighed, "Why did I even bother installing the ramps if no one was gonna use them?" Yukiko laughing nervously and patting him on the shoulder.

But while Bewear's entrance looked intimidating and cute at the same time to the crowd, Popplio smirked and thought, 'So he can't swim. Bien. I can use that to mon advantage.'

Once the bear approached the ring, he planted his claws into the side and pulled himself up into it. He then approached the seal and held up one of his right ones, using it to pop the tube open and saying, "Just like Crabrawler, that's gonna be you by the time this match is over."

The Japanese crowd cheered even louder as Eevee groaned, "You serious? That's literally the same entrance he gave last time just with a floaty instead of a balloon!"

It seemed no one was listening as Umbreon folded her arms and thought, 'Could he be any more arrogant? If Popplio and Scorchicken don't beat him, I certainly will. I promise you that, Crabrawler.'

Both fighters moved to separate sides of the ring as Yukiko nodded and exclaimed, "And so, without further ado, let us begin!" ringing the bell and signalling the start of the match.

Bewear lashed out his claws and raced toward Popplio with a ferocious look in his eyes. But when he was ready to strike, the seal smirked and thought, 'Too easy.'

With that in mind, he leapt to the side and sent his tail into the bear's cheek. He then wrapped his flippers around him from the side and curled his tail like a spring. And after that, he bounced high into the air and leaned backward while the French fans went wild.

"TRAMPOLINE SIDE SUPLEX!" he barked as the side of Bewear's head was driven into the canvas, Eevee squealing happily and Umbreon smiling lightly.

"It seems Popplio means business as he unleashes his mighty suplex to Bewear," Yukiko stated while Popplio released his hold and slapped Bewear in the face with his tail, "And with a slap from his tail, it's clear that he will not allow Bewear to catch him off guard like he did to Crabrawler."

Bewear groaned in pain while Popplio leapt onto the top rope and spread his flippers out. He then leapt up and flipped vertically, shouting, "CIRCUS BELLY FLOP!" his belly hitting the bear hard in the gut and causing him to cry out in pain.

"FANTASTIQUE!" Primarina squealed with a big smile on her face, "You are a real star, mon fils!"

Chespin and Litwick also smiled wide from the hospital and once again resisted the urge to cheer. Though at this point, it was hard as the candle had started to regret not going there in person.

And of course, both Caterpie and Lycanroc had watched this as well. The wolf had a big grin on her face while she said, "Popplio's just incredible, isn't he?" the caterpillar nodding in agreement.

But just as the seal was about to rise and distance himself, Bewear smirked and grunted, "Just where do you think you're going!?"

He then lashed out his claws and planted them into Popplio's back, causing him to cry out in pain. The Japanese fans wanted to support the seal, but many of them were happy to see their representative make a nice comeback and thus they could not help but cheer. And it only looked like things would get worse when the bear rose to his feet and leapt high into the air, leaning backward.

"LET'S SEE HOW YOU LIKE IT!" he spat, "KERATIN SUPLEX!" the back of the seal's head hitting the canvas hard as his eyes and mouth were still wide open. The addition of the claws piercing his flesh caused this to hurt more than it should have, and things were only about to get worse when Bewear stood upright with the seal still in his grasp.

"Don't think I haven't seen your other matches?" he grunted while he flipped Popplio upside-down, "I know how you function, how you rely on logical thinking as opposed to brute strength to win your matches. But let me tell you that sort of thing isn't gonna work on me. You dealt a few good hits, but those were nothing compared to what I have in store."

"POPPLIO!" Eevee squeaked in panic as the bear leapt high above the ring. And as predicted, he wrapped his legs around the seal's neck and planted the claws on his feet into his chin. And with that, he descended toward the mat and shouted, "KERATIN PILEDRIVER!"

The French crowd stared in horror when Popplio's skull hit the canvas hard. And despite only having taken in two slams so far, he already coughed up blood. Thus Bewear released his hold and allowed him to collapse, a wicked grin on his face as he flipped him onto his belly and crawled onto his back.

Eevee shook her head in horror while the bear lashed out all twelve of his claws, planting them into the seal's chin and tail while exclaiming, "KERATIN SUBMISSION!" Yukiko stating, "Popplio had a really good start, but Bewear was more than ready. Not only has he dealt two very powerful slams, but now he has Popplio in the same submission hold that almost got Crabrawler to submit."

The Japanese fans cheered while a teenaged girl sighed, "It pains me to cheer for Bewear. Popplio's so cool."

Another nodded and added, "Even so, Bewear is Japanese and he's pretty cool too. Honestly, I'd be happy with either result, but at the same time, I wanna see Japan win the Olympics. That hasn't happened since Machamp became champion twice in a row."

Upon hearing this, Eevee frowned and squeaked, "Come on, Popplio! You've been in worse situations! This is nothing! You can get out of this!" Primarina watching with concern.

The seal gritted his teeth and thought, 'She's right. Bewear may be strong, but I used to work in a circus. I can easily find a way around this.'

He knew he could not use his tail like a catapult. That may have worked on Doduo, but with his flesh being pierced, it would likely have no effect on Bewear and only make the pain worse. However, there was one other method he could use. It was still a long shot, but it could very well work.

As such, he slapped his fins against the canvas and let out a loud cry, the crowd staring in shock while he pushed himself up into an arch formation. As a result, Bewear's hold on his chin started to loosen. This allowed the seal to wriggle his head free before pushing himself high into the air and flipping himself over. The French fans went wild when he descended and planted Bewear's back into the mat.

The bear winced from the pain and released his hold on Popplio. This gave him a golden opportunity as he leapt toward the ropes and stretched them back. And as soon as Bewear rose to his feet, the seal launched himself toward his back with his skull pointed forward and his flippers against his sides.

"CIRCUS MISSILE!" he barked before ramming his head into the spot he had aimed for. Bewear cried out in pain and spread his arms out while he fell on his belly, the cheers getting louder as Yukiko exclaimed, "It looked like the match would end soon, but in the end, Popplio's creative skills prove too much for Bewear to handle!"

Eevee breathed a sigh of relief and thought, 'That's what I expect from the fighter who shaped me into a hero. There's no way some sharp pointy claws will take him down.'

Just as the seal was ready to do more, Bewear rose back to his feet and raced toward him with his claws out. Seeing this, Popplio frowned and thought, 'You think I'm gonna fall for that sloppy setup? You got another thing coming!'

With that in mind, he proceeded to slide toward the bear on his belly with his flippers out, barking, "SEAL WATERSLIDE!" But just as he was about to strike Bewear's ankles, his and rest of the crowd's eyes widened when he leapt into the air and spun his tail like a propeller.

Eevee and Umbreon were just as surprised as everyone else while the tail emitted a strong wind current. It hit Popplio's back hard as he found himself unable to move. And once he was distracted, Bewear saw his chance, lifted his legs up and landed on his back. Popplio cried out in agonizing pain as even the Japanese crowd winced.

"POPPLIO!" Eevee squeaked while Primarina gasped, "Are you okay, fils!?"

Yukiko blinked and asked, "Say, does his profile mention anything about his weight?" Metapod bringing it up on a small monitor and looking it over before replying, "Two hundred and ninety eight pounds."

Needless to say, Popplio was in a great deal of pain as he gritted his teeth, Bewear rising off of his back and saying tauntingly, "Oh, come on, I'm not that big, am I? I think my feelings are hurt."

He then rose his paws in the air and sent them crashing down into the same spot while the French fans stared with concern. Popplio had taken in a lot of pain over the past, but never had a heavy opponent landed on top of him. Even with his blubber, it was hard to ignore such pain.

It seemed like things would only get worse when Bewear scratched his chin lightly with a single claw, asking, "Now, what should I do?" before grinning maniacally and leaping into the air. He then spun his tail and rose even higher like a rocket before cupping his paws together and lashing out all six claws.

He flipped himself one hundred and eighty degrees and spun like a drill, shouting, "KERATIN DRILL!" Popplio unable to recover in time to avoid taking the claws to his back. He cried out in agony as blood flew from that very spot like a fountain, Eevee and Primarina both trembling in horror.

They knew legally, Bewear could not kill the seal, but this still looked terrible. Could it be? Would Popplio suffer his third loss today?


	54. Chapter 54

While things started strong for Popplio, now he was on his belly with Bewear drilling his claws into his back. Everyone watched in terror while his blood flew into the air like rain and fell into the water surrounding the ring. Even the Japanese fans, who supported Bewear, had trouble watching this.

Eevee and Primarina trembled in their seats while even Umbreon could not bear to watch this. She knew Bewear would be tough. After how he dealt with Crabrawler, that much was clear. But she did not think he would be malicious enough to deal this much pain to a fellow hero, even if the Olympics were known to be this brutal.

"And with Bewear's Keratin Drill, it seems Popplio cannot fight back," Yukiko stated, "Can he possibly get out of such a tight spot?" Metapod narrowing his eyelids and secretly hoping he would. After all, the seal was his son's friend, and any friend of Caterpie he wanted to see at least make it far.

And after a few seconds, the seal closed his eyes when Bewear ended his assault and leapt away from him. All went silent through the area as it looked like Popplio was unconscious. He was barely breathing, but after having lost so much blood, this was hardly a shock even if heroes were known to contain a lot more than humans.

With that in mind, Yukiko started the ten count while Bewear held his paws against his sides and stated, "I have to admit, you were actually more interesting than Crabrawler. But even so, this was inevitable. I'm gonna make sure Japan has a champion once more no matter how hard I have to try."

Upon hearing these words, both Scorchicken and Umbreon could not help but detect a lack of sincerity in his voice. It was as if he had another motive behind winning. However, if he was like most contestants, chances were that all he really cared about was fame but he may not have had the heart to admit it, despite the fact that he seemed like the boastful type.

Whatever the case, Popplio would need to rise soon if he was to stand more of a chance. As such, Eevee snapped, "COME ON, POPPLIO! I KNOW YOU'RE BETTER THAN THIS!"

She then pumped her fist up and down and chanted, "Popplio! Popplio!" as Primarina nodded and did the same, exclaiming, "Popplio! Popplio!"

Soon enough, the entire French crowd joined in as even a few Japanese fans could not help but chant his name. After all, he had helped save them on several occasions, so they at least owed him that much.

Bewear simply stared and kept his claws at the ready just in case. He had seen enough matches from other heroes to know that normally chants from the crowd increased the odds of one making a faster recovery. But when Yukiko reached seven seconds, he retracted them and smirked, thinking, 'No, he's too close now. Even if he does wake up, it'll be too-'

But at the exact second Yukiko counted to nine, Popplio propelled himself into the air and slammed his tail fin into Bewear's face. This caught him off guard as his eyes widened with shock. And with that, the seal wrapped his flippers around him and leapt backward, soaring over the ropes and into the pool.

The French fans went wild while Popplio rose up and dove back into the ring, a grin on his face as Eevee squealed, "WAY TO GO, POPPLIO! I KNEW YOU COULD DO IT!" Primarina breathing a sigh of relief and thinking, 'That Eevee is incroyable. She always helps him out of these binds.'

Popplio rose his flippers into the air as Yukiko explained, "And after a very close call, Popplio has made a miraculous recovery as he sends his opponent into the drink. Now, like with the twenty-second Olympics, we will not use the twenty second rule for the pool. But if Bewear starts to drown, that will count as a ring-out and he will be saved by a staff member post-haste."

Popplio took many deep breaths and thought, 'I was hoping I wouldn't have to rely on that. But when I saw that Bewear needed a life preserver to swim, I could tell this would make for a bien last resort. It's strange, though. I thought bears were supposed to be decent swimmers.'

Whatever the case, he and the crowd had only one thing they needed to do at the moment, and that was to wait for bubbles to stop rising from under the water. As soon as that happened, they would know that Bewear no longer had the chance to resurface and the seal's victory would be guaranteed.

Primarina clapped with a big smile while Eevee let out a sigh of relief, thinking, 'Damn, that was even closer than most of my matches. But what matters is that he's gonna be in the semi-finals.'

After a few seconds, everyone noticed that the bubbles seemed to stop rising. But just as Metapod was about to order a staff member to dive in and save Bewear from drowning, Popplio's eyes widened as he felt a part of the mat bulge right under him. As such, he leapt to the side as a set of claws emerged from the material, Bewear rising up while spinning and shouting, "KERATIN DRILL!"

"WHAT!?" Eevee spat with her jaw dropped while the bear proceeded to lash out the claws on his feet. He then spun toward Popplio and struck him in the forehead, knocking him on his back as he propelled himself backward and landed against the canvas with a grin.

"How stupid are you!?" he spat with a big laugh, "I'm a bear! Don't you know bears swim!?" Popplio growling, "But if you can swim, why did you need an inner tube to get to the ring?" pushing himself upright.

Bewear folded his arms and shook his head before sighing, "I didn't actually need it. I wore it for dramatic effect. For someone who's supposed to be a master strategist, that was really stupid."

As much as it pained the seal to admit it, the bear had a point. But even so, he could not allow one error in judgement to take him down. He had recovered from an insanely powerful blow earlier and there was no way he would waste this chance.

With that in mind, he rolled up into a ball and barked, "CIRCUS BALL!" speeding forward. Bewear easily dodged to the right only for Popplio to leap in that exact direction. He then reverted to a more normal state and spun horizontally with his flippers out, shouting, "CIRCUS PINWHEEL!"

The bear's eyes widened as he took multiple slaps to the side of his head. Popplio then landed in front of him and swept his tail into his ankles, causing him to trip and fall on his back. The seal then leapt high into the air and barked, "BOUNCING BALL STRIKE!" before planting his tail hard into Bewear's gut.

The French fans went wild as Primarina squealed, "Bravo, mon fils! Bravo!" while Eevee beamed bright and gave the seal a thumb up.

Chespin and Litwick both performed a happy dance as it truly looked like Popplio could win this now. And of course, Lycanroc and Caterpie were equally happy. Now they just wished they could afford to cheer without waking up the other patients.

However, the seal knew there was no way Bewear could possibly be down for the count. As such, he lifted him up and wrapped his flippers around him, ready to deliver his Trampoline Suplex one more time. But just as he was ready to do so, his eyes widened when Bewear suddenly opened his eyes and planted his claws into his back.

"Did you honestly think it would be that easy!?" he spat before leaping into the air and barking, "KERATIN SUPLEX!"

But rather than aiming for the canvas like last time, he did what Popplio had done and soared over the ropes. As such, both were submerged underwater as Eevee blinked and uttered, "Is he stupid or something? He does know seals are master swimmers, right?"

While Bewear certainly knew this, it seemed like he had something else planned entirely as he used his tail to speed up his descent. And thus the back of Popplio's head soon made contact with the bottom before he coughed up blood, the bear smirking and thinking, 'That's right. By itself, this move is fine, but add a little extra height and it's deadly. I wish I really could afford to-'

However, his train of thought was cut off when it seemed Popplio was still able to move. As such, the seal pushed himself up and rammed hit tail hard into the spellbound bear's gut. He then spun around and sent a barrage of slaps into his face, barking, "CIRCUS PINWHEEL!"

Bewear ignored the pain and held his claws in front of his face after the tenth hit. As such, Popplio wound up hitting them instead. This was all the bear needed as he spun around and rammed the seal's back into the wall.

Meanwhile, on the surface, everyone noticed both sets of bubbles shifting around while Eevee groaned, "Great, I can't tell which of them is winning right now. Please tell me it's Popplio."

After delivering one last strike to Popplio, Bewear's eyes widened when suddenly, he found himself in need of air. While bears were good swimmers and could hold their breath for more than a minute, they were not like seals who could last as long as a half-hour underwater. With that in mind, the bear swam up near the shore.

But just as he was about to make it, Popplio frowned and swam toward him at an incredible speed. He then wrapped his arms around the bear, his eyes widening. And soon enough, both reached the surface before the seal leapt high into the air, the French crowd cheering wildly while the Japanese fans were equally impressed.

"And it would seem whatever Bewear had planned has turned on him as Popplio has him in his grasp!" Yukiko exclaimed as the seal descended toward the mat like a dolphin. Once the bear's face made contact with the canvas, he barked, "DOLPHIN DIVE SLAM!"

The bear's eyes closed as Popplio released his hold and leapt up. A big smile formed on his face while he rose his flippers in the air, the area erupting with cheers as Eevee clapped and squealed, "You rule!"

Umbreon breathed a sigh of relief while Metapod announced, "And after many close calls, it looks like Popplio might have actually won this match!" Yukiko starting up the ten count since Bewear really seemed to have lost all consciousness.

The area went silent while Chespin cupped his hands together and prayed this was the end. Litwick gave the screen an intense stare as well. After all, the tension was high.

"Come on," Lycanroc uttered, "Please stay down," Caterpie nodding his head and adding, "Yeah. That had to have been enough."

Of course, Primarina's eyes sparkled while she thought, 'There's no doubt in my mind. That had to have been enough to end it for good. That Bewear wasn't as tough as he thought.'

But just as Yukiko reached nine seconds, Bewear's eyes shot open before he propelled himself upward and scratched Popplio's chin with the claws on his feet. The seal's eyes and mouth widened as the bear now stood upright and proceeded to slash him repeatedly across the chest.

"YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING ME!" Eevee cried while even Umbreon could not accept this. Just how much endurance did this bear have?

Whatever the case, it seemed he had no intention of ending it just yet as after delivering twenty strikes, he placed a firm grip against Popplio's face. He also curved his claws inward thus drawing more blood from the seal's flesh and said eerily, "You are just a pain in the ass, aren't you? You think just because you have blubber instead of flesh and fancy circus tricks instead of real fighting moves, that makes you special. Well, I think it's my turn to have a little fun! I hope I don't accidentally end it too soon!"

With that, he curved the claws on his free paw and sent them repeatedly into Popplio's gut, barking, "KERATIN KNUCKLE!" his own supporters having trouble getting behind this. They knew it was not unheard of for a hero to have this kind of ferocity during a match, but this seemed like too much.

By this point, Popplio could barely keep his eyes open as Eevee squeaked, "COME ON! THERE'S GOTTA BE MORE THAT YOU CAN DO!" the seal nodding weakly and sending his tail into Bewear's gut.

However, he had used significantly less force than before. As a result, Bewear blinked and rubbed the spot before shrugging and saying, "I think you're starting to lose your touch. I barely felt that."

With that in mind, he held the sides of Popplio's head with both paws and leapt toward the turnbuckle. The crowd watched in amazement as he barked, "KERATIN SLAM DUNK!" and lowered his arms. Popplio's back made contact with the pole while he coughed up blood, Primarina staring in horror and rising from her seat to race to the front row.

Bewear breathed heavily when suddenly, Popplio narrowed his eyelids and grunted, "I'm not finished yet," the bear smirking and saying, "Good. I was hoping to have just a little bit more fun before playtime came to an end."

With that in mind, the bear turned Popplio around and wrapped his arms around him, planting his claws into his chest one last time. The seal winced from the pain and stared weakly at Eevee, thinking, 'Pardon, mon ami. I tried de mon mieux. I really did.'

However, he was shocked when he saw his mother race toward the front and bark, "ATTENDEZ, MONSIEUR BEWEAR!"

The bear blinked as she let down light tears and sniffed, "Look at mon fils' condition! He's suffered enough! You've won! Don't do anymore to him, s'il vous plait!"

Popplio could not believe what he was hearing as he thought, 'Mama,' and let down a light tear. Eevee and Umbreon also stared at this, both finding this rather touching.

Bewear narrowed his eyelids and sighed, "Alright, Popplio. I'll let you go, but only if you say you give up. If you don't say anything, I'll take that as a sign that it's okay for me to continue."

Popplio hated the thought of surrendering, but his mother had gone to all the trouble to give him this chance to avoid further pain. But when he tried to let out the very words Bewear needed to hear, he could not. He was far too weak at this point and thus was unable to speak any words of any kind.

As such, Bewear shrugged his shoulders and said, "Well, suit yourself," before leaping backward and barking, "KERATIN SUPLEX!"

Primarina clasped her fins over her mouth as Eevee whimpered in panic. And sure enough, the back of Popplio's head hit the canvas hard while his eyes closed for good and the bear released his hold. As such, Yukiko had no choice but to start the ten count as the area went silent.

Tears ran down Primarina's eyes while Eevee shook her head. And soon enough, ten seconds were reached, Yukiko ringing the bell and exclaiming, "And after the longest and most intense match so far, Bewear is our winner!"

After a few seconds, the Japanese fans cheered as they wished for him to win. Sure, his methods may have been beyond brutal, but he was far from the first hero to have such a style. This sort of thing was common in the Hero Olympics, and right now, their representative had won.

Primarina, on the other hand, refused to accept this as she dove into the water and swam toward the ring. She then leapt into it while Eevee bit her lower lip and trembled, barking, "POPPLIO!"

Primarina cradled him in her arms and smiled while she sniffed, "You did a grand job, mon fils. Don't let this loss get you down. You're an amazing hero."

Bewear folded his arms and rolled his eyes as a walkway jutted out of the side of the ring. Therefor he walked across it and said, "Better get him to the hospital soon. He's gonna need it."

While these words alone seemed to put the crowd's mind at ease, Primarina was not so sure as she had a look of suspicion. After how brutal he had been twice in a row, she could not help but wonder if he really was a hero. And even Umbreon was starting to question it as well, a cold look on her face while she watched the bear exit the area.

"Alright, folks, that concludes the first half of round two," Metapod stated, "Don't forget, we still have another one starting in two hours. It shall take place here," pointing everyone to the big map. As it so happened, the next location was the airport, but how that would work was anyone's guess.

Decidueye seemed to like this as he shot Eevee a grin, Torracat giving him a supportive smile. Needless to say, both were very excited for this match and thus they got up to leave.

Eevee watched him exit the area and took a deep breath, thinking, 'Alright, none of my friends are in the stands to cheer for me this time. But that's okay. I can still win this match. I'll do this for all of you. I'll make sure there's still one hero of Tokyo standing by the time the semi-finals come around.'

Before she could think about this further, though, she sprinted across the walkway and stopped in front of the seals before asking, "Is he gonna be okay?"

Primarina turned to her and smiled before replying, "Oui. If I know Popplio, he'll be up and at it again soon enough. But merci beaucoup for being such a bon ami for him. It might be hard to believe, but he never had any growing up."

Eevee stared in stunned silence for a few seconds. She then shook her head and remarked, "Really? Popplio had no friends? I find that very hard to believe," Primarina sighing, "I sometimes blame myself for that. I and Ames, his papa, always convinced him to spend his days as a circus performer. When Hero Planet's government told moi they wanted him as a student, I felt like that would be the worst thing that could ever happen. He joined Hero School without mon permission."

"Wow," the fox uttered as she could not help but wonder why Popplio had never told her this. She never knew that someone like him could be so rebellious.

"It would seem we were wrong," Primarina added with a big smile, "Not only does he seem to enjoy himself, but he now has that social life we always wanted for him. So again, je vous remercie."

Eevee's spirits lifted considerably while she nodded and replied, "It was no problem at all. Your son's a great guy. I hope he gets well real soon."

The older seal blinked and said, "I have to admit, your knowledge of Francais is impressive," the fox grinning and replying, "Well, I have hung out with your son enough times. Though you could never get me to say some of this stuff on a regular basis."

With all said and done, Primarina bowed her head to Eevee headed out of the area as it seemed everyone else had already left. As such, the fox took a deep breath and did the same. Now she was even more determined to win her match, even if Decidueye seemed like the nicest opponent she had ever had next to Cyndaquil.

She was the last of her friends still competing, and as she noticed almost immediately, she had no one to cheer for her in the stands. All of those still awake were in the hospital looking after those who had lost. But then again, it was the same case when she fought in the qualification tournament. With that in mind, she would try her best to overcome this and advance to the semi-finals.


	55. Chapter 55

It was almost time for the second half of the semi-finals and Eevee had no one to cheer for her in the stands. But even so, after everything that had happened, she at least wanted a chance to fight Umbreon and really prove herself. She knew Decidueye would be tough, but she was certain she could do this.

An hour before the fight, she arrived at the airport and took a deep breath, thinking, 'I'm guessing they must have put the mat on the runway or somewhere like that. I just hope no one decides to land there.'

And as she walked around, her eyelids lowered while she sighed, "Goddammit. At least in the last couple of places, there were things to do while waiting. What am I supposed to do at an airport?"

At that exact moment, her eyes widened when she realized how stupid this question was. She only had a little over an hour to spare. As such, she needed to get ready for her match. But first, she would check out the runway to confirm her theory.

And sure enough, that was exactly where the ring and bleachers were set up. She just hoped it would not get too windy during the match. It was already enough that she had to deal with one more weird location.

During this time, Decidueye and Torracat were training in a secluded area as the cat set up targets for the owl to test out his Spirit Shackle on. And of course, he managed to hit them all with precision before he grinned and said, "Oh yeah, this match is in the bag."

Torracat nodded and replied, "Yeah, that Eevee may have an impressive track record for a normal type, but she's still gonna lose this match."

Decidueye took a deep breath and sighed, "But really, Torracat, thanks for sticking by me even after the beating I gave you," the cat sighing, "Seriously, you already know I'm okay with my loss. Besides, one of these days, we'll fight again and I'll totally kick your ass. Then we'll be even."

The owl turned to her and retorted, "As if! The next time we fight, I'll only beat you more easily!" as the two laughed and patted one-another on the shoulder.

Meanwhile, Eevee trained extra hard with a variety of equipment provided for her. Umbreon passed by the area and gently opened the door so the brown fox would not notice. And while she could not express it yet, she was happy to see her taking this as seriously as she was. As such, the black fox closed the door and headed to the bleachers since, like Eevee said, there was nothing else to really do at the airport.

Once the remaining time passed, Yukiko and Metapod took a seat as the woman announced, "Ladies and gentlemen, it is finally time for the third match to begin! I've gotta say, it's been a great second round so far!"

Metapod nodded and replied, "I know. I was on the edge of my seat during that last match. But remember, we still got two more, and if the first round is any indicator, these matches are sure to generate a great deal of excitement."

"Oh man, this is gonna be easy!" Caterpie exclaimed from the hospital, "Eevee already defeated a winged opponent! She can handle this!" as Lycanroc nodded and replied, "Yeah. That Decidueye's tough, but he's got nothing on Noivern."

Litwick and Chespin of course thought the same thing. Even with the power of flight on his side, there was no way Decidueye could win, especially since he had no intention of turning the crowd against the fox.

With the crowd good and ready, Yukiko pointed to the right and stated, "In the red corner, hailing from Thailand is a feisty little fox with strength no one would expect from her! She has so far defeated Drampa and even had him sent to prison for crimes he should have been arrested for ages ago! Everyone, give a round of applause for Eevee!"

The Japanese and Thai fans went wild when the fox entered the area with a jet pack strapped to her back. She performed a few tricks, but before she could land, the engine malfunctioned as she uttered, "Oh, come on," before dive-bombing into the mat, the pack flying off into the distance and exploding.

"Oh shit," the fox groaned while she looked up at this, "The staff is not gonna be happy about that," before standing upright and dusting herself off, the crowd now staring silently.

Umbreon pinched her forehead as the brown fox glared at her briefly and thought, 'Just you wait. I'm gonna earn this victory and then you'll have to acknowledge my skills.'

Yukiko stared briefly before clearing her throat and exclaiming, "And in the blue corner is a mighty owl with a style similar to Robin Hood! With his skills, he defeated the strong Torracat, but can he be the second opponent to defeat Eevee!? We'll just have to find out after I reintroduce Decidueye!"

The Indian crowd cheered wildly when the owl flew into the area like a fighter plane. He stayed close to the ground before rising up and performing a flip. After that, he landed on his feet, bowed to Eevee and said, "It is a pleasure to face thee, my lady."

Eevee blinked and nodded, replying, "Same here," before thinking, 'Right, he's actually civil. This might not be too bad.'

However, she tensed up slightly when Metapod stated, "Oh, before we begin, I have decided on a special gimmick for this match. See, there's a reason I chose the airport for the location of this match."

"Do I even wanna know?" the fox uttered when suddenly, the ring was risen up by a long metal pole. The crowd watched with confusion as Eevee blinked and uttered, "What's going on?" Decidueye shrugging his shoulders.

As if that was not enough, the bleachers seemed to rise up as well. The crowd looked mortified until they noticed the guard rails expand to make sure no one could fall off no matter what. This made them feel safe, but Umbreon could not help but worry. She could see where this was going and it did not take a genius to figure out the major disadvantage that came with such a gimmick.

"As you can see," Metapod explained, "The ring has been risen high above the ground. As such, our fighters have to make sure they don't fall out of the ring. A ring-out will only be declared if one of them hits the ground."

"WHAT!?" Eevee retorted with terror in her expression, "So this is really how we're gonna do this!? This is totally unfair! He can fly!" as Decidueye tapped his chin and gasped, "She's right! I've got an unfair advantage here!"

"Sorry, but that's how this match is gonna work," Metapod replied with a shrug as Yukiko smiled and added, "Don't worry, Eevee. I trust you can work around this anyway."

She then clasped her hands over her mouth when she suddenly remembered she was not supposed to play favourites. But even so, the fox took a deep breath and thought, 'She's right. I've faced some real tough adversaries. Besides, I doubt Decidueye would resort to throwing me over the edge. He seems too nice for that.'

Torracat seemed to think the same thing as she sighed, "He has such a nice advantage and he probably won't even use it. Oh well, he probably won't need it anyway."

All the while, Lycanroc stared at this and asked, "Caterpie, honey, why would your dad set this up?" the caterpillar sighing, "I think he really wanted to pay homage to the twenty-second Hero Olympics. Interestingly enough, that aquarium earlier was where Machoke defeated Barbaracle in the first round. Meanwhile, this is very similar to the semi-finals in which Lucario fought Garchomp in a ring that was raised high above the floor."

"Fascinating," the wolf replied, "I just really hope Eevee can handle this. It's one thing to fight a flying opponent, but it's another thing when the battlefield itself is also in the air."

Caterpie nodded and stated, "I just hope he doesn't try to recreate the match between Ninetales and Machoke. I remember grandpa telling me how he never wanted to see that spiked stone used on anyone ever again."

With all said and done, Eevee took a deep breath and patted her cheeks. She then put on a more serious look and thought, 'Right, I need to get used to this. I'm the only one left among my friends. I can't let a little extra height get me down. Popplio sure as hell wouldn't.'

With that in mind, she smiled and said, "I'm ready when you are, Decidueye," the owl bowing his head and replying, "Good. I would have felt bad whaling on someone who wasn't prepared."

Both fighters then stood on separate sides of the ring while Yukiko nodded and stated, "Well, folks, the combatants are set! Therefor we shall begin!"

And with the bell rung, Decidueye held up one of his vines with his wing, reaching for his back. Upon seeing this, Eevee knew that it would be a bad idea to stand still and thus she raced toward him, thinking, 'I know normally rushing in would be a bad idea, but I can't let him pierce my shadow!'

However, she was shocked when Decidueye did not lift up one of his arrow feathers. Instead, he spread out his wings and soared toward Eevee. His beak then glowed bright green as he shouted, "SOLAR PECK!" ramming it into her gut before she could react.

Eevee was now caught off guard while he flapped in place and sent a volley of rapid kicks to her face. The Indian fans cheered wildly as Yukiko stated, "And in no time flat, Decidueye gets the upper hand by faking out Eevee! But I wonder if that was really his plan from the start!"

The owl sent one last kick with both talons into Eevee's face as she backed up. This left her just vulnerable enough while he pulled out four arrows and lined them up, shouting, "SPIRIT SHACKLE!" He then sent all of them into the wrists and feet of her shadow thus pinning her to the mat while light drops of blood emerged from those very spots.

"Sorry to get the drop on you so soon," Decidueye said with a grin, "But I've heard about how your rise from zero to hero started when you began to think and wait for your opponents to make the first move. I figured if you thought I was going to use my Spirit Shackle from the start, you'd try to get in the first move instead. That left you just vulnerable enough."

"WAY TO GO!" Torracat exclaimed with a big grin, "You learned from our match! I'm so proud!" as the owl nodded and winked at her.

Seeing this, Chespin's eyes and mouth widened before he spat, "YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING ME! HOW'S SHE SUPPOSED TO-" only to cover his mouth when Litwick shushed him. Though she was equally worried, as were Lycanroc and Caterpie. The match had not even gone for a minute and it already looked like Eevee would lose.

Eevee tried her hardest to struggle free but to no avail. And when he saw this, Decidueye let out a sigh and stated, "That's not gonna work. Since the arrows aren't really stuck in your flesh, you can't just force them out no matter how hard you try. The only way to take care of them is to pry them away from your shadow, but how can you do that when you can't move your arms or legs?"

The fox's eyes and mouth were wide with terror. Even Umbreon had trouble hiding her concern. It truly looked like Eevee had already lost this match.

Things looked even worse when Decidueye flew over Eevee and cupped his heels together, sighing, "I hate to end this so soon, but I'm just as determined to win as you are. I hope you understand."

He then spun around and conjured up a twister of grass. However, there was no way the fox would allow this to happen. As such, she looked for a way to remove at least one arrow. And just as Decidueye descended toward her, she smirked and shifted her tail sideways, placing it against the arrow in her shadow's left leg.

"SPIRIT SHACKLE REVERSE!" she squeaked as she hurled the arrow upward and into the owl's left talon. He cried out in pain and lost focus, leaning to the side before his elbow hit the canvas hard.

The crowd stared in shock while Eevee used this time to pry out all of the other arrows. And with the perfect opportunity to fight back, she leapt toward Decidueye while he pushed himself up. By the time she was close enough, it was too late for him to dodge and thus he took both of her feet to his chest.

The Thai and Japanese fans cheered heavily while Yukiko exclaimed, "And after Decidueye got an incredible early lead, Eevee retaliates by turning his own attack against him followed by a flying kick!"

Umbreon's eyes were wide with shock while Torracat groaned, "Dammit! Why didn't I try that when he had me pinned down like that!?" before blinking and uttering, "That came out wrong."

Whatever the case, it seemed that Eevee stood a chance. As such, she latched her ankles to the owl's neck and leaned backward, lifting him up and planting the back of his head into the canvas. And all the while, she breathed heavily and thought, 'Right, after the torment I endured from Palossand, this is nothing. He may have dealt a lot of hits to me, but I can handle it.'

Decidueye rose back to his feet and ignored the pain his arrow dealt to him. He then turned toward the fox and smirked, saying, "I have to admit, that was really impressive. I really wasn't sure if you could get out of that, but you did and it was awesome!"

"So, you're not upset?" Eevee uttered as the owl shrugged and replied, "Hey, if you were a villain, I would be. If anything, I'm just glad you're providing me with a good challenge. That way, if I win, it'll feel much more satisfying."

With that in mind, he pulled out five arrows and lined them up, adding, "Though if I were to pierce your tail, you'd be pretty much helpless," only for the fox to squeak, "Oh, shit!"

When the arrows flew toward her shadow, she frowned and thought, 'There's only one surefire way to make sure he can't get me! I just hope it's worth it!'

With that in mind, she leapt in front of where her shadow was before and took the arrows herself. Decidueye's eyes and beak were wide with shock as Yukiko gasped, "And in a shocking display, Eevee has just guarded her own shadow! But what was that supposed to accomplish!?"

"Simple," Metapod replied with a smile, "She knew that if the arrows hit her shadow, she wouldn't be able to move. But since they're in her body instead, she can pry them out."

"Exactly," the fox quipped with a smirk as she started to do just that. Decidueye stared at this until Torracat hissed, "Quick! Get her while she's distracted!"

"Right!" the owl exclaimed before taking to the sky. His beak glowed once again as he flew toward the fox and shouted, "SOLAR PECK!"

However, Eevee had seen this coming. As such, she leapt up just in time to avoid him and hurled the arrows into his back. He cried out in pain while the fox planted her feet into that exact same spot, causing him to fall on his belly.

The Thai and Japanese crowd went wild while Yukiko stated, "And once again, Eevee turns that Spirit Shackle against Decidueye! She's on fire now!"

"Wow," Chespin said with a big smile, "She always cuts it so close but she still pulls through."

Litwick nodded and replied, "Yeah, Eevee's so cool. Even I'm not sure if I could have come up with something like that. There's no doubt she can win now."

Both Lycanroc and Caterpie were beyond ecstatic. And if Popplio had been awake, he would have been just as proud. She was using tactics that he would have never expected her to think of so soon.

The fox distanced herself from the owl as he slowly rose to his feet and took a deep breath. He then smirked and said, "You cheeky little devil," before shaking the arrows out of his back.

But while he was glad to have a challenge, he was also intimidated now. It seemed as if Eevee had already figured out a way around his best tactics. But just as he was getting desperate, Torracat tapped her chin before smiling and suggesting, "Hey, buddy, I got an idea! How's about you take advantage of the gimmick for this match!?"

Decidueye's eyes widened before he gasped, "Of course!" Eevee gulping nervously. He had not just thought of sending her off of the edge, had he?

Whatever the case, she would need to be careful as he took to the sky and said, "I was actually hoping I wouldn't have to resort to this, but you've given me no choice."

With that in mind, he flipped backward and soared over the ropes. He then dove under the ring as everyone stared in confusion, Yukiko asking, "What's he doing?"

"I think I know," Metapod replied, "If this is going where I think it is, he may very well be relying on a tactic used by Garchomp to catch Lucario off guard. This could very well change the course of the entire match."

Eevee blinked and uttered, "Wait, what's he talking about?" when suddenly, Decidueye rose up behind her and prepared five more arrows, thinking, 'It's risky to use so many at once, but now I know for a fact that I can get her with this.'

With that in mind, he let loose the arrows and exclaimed, "SPIRIT SHACKLE!" all five of them piercing her shadow's wrists, ankles and tail. As such, the fox was now on her belly with no way to escape as Decidueye flew over her and said, "There. Now you can't escape."

Eevee breathed heavily as she could not see any way out of this. Like Decidueye said earlier, she could not shake the arrows off of her since they were not actually in her flesh. This meant that she really had no way to get out. Decidueye was free to use whatever move he wanted.

"I'll admit, you're just as surprising as they say," the owl said as he aimed his heels toward her, "But in the end, it is I who shall reign supreme," the Indian fans cheering wildly.

He spun around as a twister of grass formed around him once again. He then descended toward the fox and exclaimed, "GRASS TORNADO!" before planting his heels hard into her back. As a result, Eevee coughed up a great deal of blood before closing her eyes. And soon enough, her face hit the mat hard.

"And using the element of surprise, Decidueye has knocked out Eevee!" Metapod stated as Yukiko started the ten count.

Umbreon bit her lower lip while Eevee's friends in the hospital could not believe what they had just seen. If they had been there, they could have warned her. But now it looked like she had lost for good with the only upside being the fact that the wind Decidueye picked up earlier blew the arrows out of her shadow.


	56. Chapter 56

Things could not have been worse for Eevee right now. While she had made a good comeback after the fierce beating she took at the beginning of the match, she was now out cold while Yukiko started the ten count. Could it be that she had already lost?

Decidueye folded his wings and smiled, saying, "You were a good opponent, but it had to come to an end soon," as Torracat shouted, "Yeah! Way to go, Decidueye! You'll win this tournament for sure!" the Indian crowd equally ecstatic.

However, the Thai and Japanese fans could not accept this as Yukiko reached four seconds. With that in mind, one audience member stood up and chanted, "Eevee! Eevee!"

Another nodded and joined in as soon enough, every one of Eevee's fans cheered for her to get up. And once Yukiko reached seven seconds, it seemed to work when the fox slowly opened her eyes and pushed herself up into a sitting position. As such, the crowd cheered wildly.

"And despite all of the damage dealt earlier, Eevee is still able to fight!" Yukiko exclaimed, "Though considering the kinds of opponents she's beaten over the past, it shouldn't be that big of a shock! But one thing is for certain, and it's that this match is not over yet!"

Eevee breathed heavily and looked around at all the people cheering for her. She let down a light tear and thought, 'That's right. Even though my friends aren't here to cheer me on in person, all of these people still came to see me win. I gotta do this for them.'

Decidueye, meanwhile, stared in shock and amazement as he uttered, "How are you still standing?" the fox smirking at him and retorting, "I may not be normal, but I'm not exactly average."

The owl continued to stare until Torracat snapped, "Hey, don't just stand there like an idiot! You were so close! I'm sure if you knock her out again, she won't be able to get up!"

"Oh yeah!" Decidueye gasped. With that in mind, he spread out his wings and said, "It's impressive that you managed to rise after all of that, but this is far from over," before once again flying over the ropes and under the ring.

After what happened before, Eevee would need to be careful. As such, she took a deep breath and narrowed her eyes. She turned around constantly to make sure she would see where the owl would rise up. And yet despite all of that, she did not see Decidueye when he flew up to the right of where he had started his flight.

The fox was unable to react in time as the owl flew at her and sent a kick into the side of her head. The Indian crowd went wild while he flew over the ropes again and hid himself. And things only got worse when he continued to rise up and fly at the fox, delivering one kick after the next.

As much as he wanted to use his arrows, he had already used up fourteen. There was no way he would make the same mistake that almost cost him his match with Torracat.

After taking in ten kicks, Eevee heard a member of the crowd shout, "Come on, Eevee! You can do it!" another adding, "Compared to Salazzle, this is nothing!"

The fox stared at the Japanese and Thai fans giving her words of encouragement. As if that was not enough, she noticed Popplio appear among the crowd as well, a serious look in his eyes as he snapped, "EEVEE, BEHIND YOU!"

Her eyes widened when she turned her head just in time to see Decidueye headed straight for her, this time with his beak glowing. But just as he was about to ram it into her, she spun around with her leg out and sent a roundhouse into his cheek. And upon taking in the blow, his eyes and beak widened before the fox ran toward his talons and took hold of his ankles.

The cheers got louder as she leapt up and planted his back into the canvas, Yukiko squealing, "It seemed like Eevee would not get the advantage back, but not only does she counter Decidueye with a kick to the face, but she follows it up with a powerbomb! Let's see what else she has in store!"

She then turned toward the bleachers as Popplio nodded his head in approval and vanished. She had no idea how it happened, but she had a big smile on her face while another tear rolled down her cheek. And all the while, she thought, 'That's right. My friends aren't here in person, but they're still cheering me on.'

At that exact moment, she could see visions of her other friends among the crowd, including Noivern and Wishiwashi. There was no doubt in her mind that she could win this for sure, especially when she had so much support.

With that in mind, she turned toward Decidueye while he rose to his feet and narrowed his eyelids, saying, "I'll admit, I'm impressed. You've managed to find a way around my best tactics. But don't think for a minute that I'm through."

The owl took to the sky and flew toward Eevee as she gasped and dodged. However, he saw this coming and swung his leg sideways, striking her waist. He then clasped both talons onto her head and flew high into the air, shouting, "U-TURN FRANKENSTEINER!"

And just as the name suggested, he performed a U-turn toward the mat and slammed the fox's back into it. He continued to hold onto her head and soared toward the turnbuckle, saying, "Noivern may have lost, but I have to admit, this tactic was genius."

And soon enough, the fox's face made contact with the pole as Decidueye unintentionally released his hold on her. However, this hardly seemed to make a difference when she coughed up blood and fell on her back. The Indian fans went wild upon seeing this while Yukiko started the ten count.

But just as it seemed like Decidueye would win, the fox leapt to her feet after a mere three seconds and took many deep breaths. She then shook the pain off of her face and smirked at Decidueye, grunting, "Like you, I don't go down so easily."

Torracat gritted her teeth and hissed, "Come on, Decidueye! You're super close to beating her! Keep at it and she'll have to go down soon!"

The owl nodded and replied, "Right," before flying toward the fox again. However, this time she would not allow him to strike her as she leapt at him and rammed her skull into his gut. This caught him off guard and allowed her to send a flying kick into the same spot.

The Thai and Japanese fans cheered while Yukiko stated, "And after taking in a great deal of pain from Decidueye, Eevee retaliates with a few countermeasures of her own! Can she keep this up or will Decidueye get the upper hand back!?"

"Yeah, keep it up!" Chespin squealed from the hospital while Noivern finally woke up. He blinked and uttered, "How long have I been out?" as Litwick and the chipmunk gasped in shock.

When the bat noticed what was on the screen and saw Eevee dodge another strike from Decidueye, he smiled and said, "Looks like she's doing a good job. But then again, she beat me, so this shouldn't be a surprise."

And of course, Caterpie and Lycanroc were ecstatic when they witnessed the fox lift up Decidueye and connect a suplex. Thanks to the support of all of them, she was on fire now and there was no way she would let up. After all, she really wanted a chance to face her sister.

After taking in a rolling sobat, Decidueye backed up and breathed heavily as Torracat bit her lower lip. She was starting to wonder if he really could win now. It was just as both of them heard. Despite her size and typing, Eevee was amazingly strong.

Even so, he could not give up as he thought, 'What can I try? If I duck under the ring again, she'll know where I'm coming from. But if I keep flying toward her, she'll keep hitting me. Maybe I should accept the fact that I've lost this match and take whatever she has in store like a man.'

But just as he was about to do that, his eyes widened when he suddenly remembered something very important. In order to play things safe, he had only used fourteen of his arrows. This meant he had twenty left, twenty that he could make excellent use of. However, he really had to make this count. After the number of hits he had sustained, he did not know how much more he could take.

Black clouds suddenly drifted over the ring as the wind started to pick up. Feeling this, there was no doubt in Decidueye's mind that he could turn this around. And with that in mind, he spread his wings out and flew high above the ring, saying, "I'll admit, Eevee, you've been an incredible challenge. But now the tides shall turn back in my favour and I shall claim victory!"

The fox frowned and stood her ground, thinking, 'Okay, I don't know what he's planning, but there's no way I'll let him win,' Torracat seeing how serious he was and smiling. Now her faith in him had returned, even though she had no idea what he was planning.

The owl stopped flapping his wings and thought, 'I really hope this works,' before spinning around and conjuring up his grass twister. And after a few seconds, he shouted, "SPIRIT SHACKLE STORM!" all twenty arrows flying from his back toward the ring.

Eevee's eyes and mouth widened while Yukiko spat, "And in a shocking display, Decidueye has sent all of his arrows raining down upon Eevee! Can she possibly avoid this!?"

The fox knew that Espeon's dodging method would not help her. And it certainly did not help that some arrows were aimed straight at the ropes, meaning those would likely be cut open soon. And before she could think of something, four of the arrows hit her hard as she staggered lightly, feeling extreme pain from this.

The Indian fans cheered wildly while Torracat exclaimed, "Wow! That was awesome!" Umbreon trying her hardest to hide her concern.

Chespin and Litwick tensed up as Noivern uttered, "Oh no. That looked really painful."

And of course, Caterpie and Lycanroc could not help but feel scared. Could it be that after all Eevee had done, this was all Decidueye needed to take her down for good?

Decidueye blinked and uttered, "I can't believe that actually worked," before looking down at Eevee and noticing something off. While she looked weak, she was still standing. She had not been pinned to the mat despite quite a few arrows having landed next to her.

However, after a few seconds, he noticed the reason. Thanks to the dark clouds, the entire canvas was now covered in shade. As a result, her shadow had vanished and could not be struck.

To make things even better, Eevee seemed to notice this right away as she pried the four arrows out of her flesh and smirked, saying, "That was a neat trick, but you should have used it earlier when the sun was out!" before hurling the projectiles toward the owl.

He gasped and dodged to the right just in time before the fox ran around the ring, picking up many others and using them for the same purpose. Decidueye barely managed to evade each and every one of them as Eevee took full advantage of this, leaping atop the only rope that was still intact and bouncing off of it.

The owl's eyes widened when she rolled up into a ball and shouted, "FLYING FOX WHEEL!" ramming herself hard into his chest as he coughed up blood for the first time in the match. He then descended toward the canvas and hit it hard, his eyes now closed and his head tilted sideways.

All went silent until Metapod stated, "And after all that damage, Eevee manages to dish out the same move that defeated Noivern when she was in a similar predicament," Yukiko starting the ten count.

Torracat's eyes widened as she snapped, "Come on, Decidueye! There's no way in hell that's enough to finish you off! I've seen you deal with far worse than that!"

It seemed as if she was wrong when ten seconds were reached. Thus Yukiko rang the bell and exclaimed, "And after a very intense and bloody match, Eevee has won and will now advance to the semi-finals!"

The Thai and Japanese crowd cheered wildly while the Indian crowd bowed their heads in respect. After all, Decidueye had done his absolute best, so they could not fault him too much for this loss.

"Yeah, she did it!" Chespin and Litwick squealed while hugging one-another, Noivern smiling and saying, "I knew it," before sitting upright and giving his two guests an odd look.

With all said and done, the ring and bleachers were lowered as Decidueye opened his eyes slightly. He then weakly turned to face Eevee and uttered, "Wow, kid. You're incredible. Even after all the pain you took in, you still beat me."

Torracat got up from her seat and ran toward the ring, a big smile on her face as she sighed, "Thank god you're still okay," Eevee nodding and replying, "Well, yeah. I didn't wanna hospitalize him, so I held back a little bit."

Decidueye blinked and uttered, "That was holding back?" before medics raced into the area to load him up onto a stretcher. While he was conscious, he still needed medical treatment as he gave the fox a thumb feather up and said, "Be sure to kick major ass in the semis, alright?"

Eevee nodded as Torracat turned to her and frowned. She did not seem to accept this quite as much as her friend did when she marched over to the fox and glared into her eyes. Eevee tensed up until she smiled and said, "You know, I have to admit, you really are as awesome as your reputation says. Even I have trouble taking in the kinds of hits he can dish out, and I've been his ally for a long time."

Eevee smiled lightly as Torracat added, "We'll be sure to catch your next match, so don't let us down, alright?" the fox nodding and replying, "Of course."

And soon enough, both friends had left the area as Metapod stated, "Well, that was certainly an incredible match, but we still have one more. Join us here in the next couple of hours to witness the final match of the day," bringing up the big map and pointing at the location of a local spa.

Eevee blinked and uttered, "A spa?" as Metapod added, "For those unaware, this particular location is often saved for final matches, though it's normally used for the first round. This time around, I decided to mix it up a bit. Besides, I'm sure some of our contestants could use a little treatment after their matches, eh?"

The fox let out a sigh and thought, 'Can't argue with that. I just wish the others were here to enjoy that with me,' before turning toward Umbreon while her mind added, 'Well, I managed to win my match. You'd better win yours.'

The black fox took a brief look at her before heading off. Deep down, she was glad that Eevee had won as she, too, wanted to face her. But first, she would have to focus on her match with Honedge.

While leaving the airport, Eevee breathed a sigh of relief and called up Chespin to check up on him. And when he answered, she smiled and said, "Hey. You guys catch my match?"

"Yeah," Chespin replied, "You were incredible back there. I feel sorry for whoever faces you in the semi-finals!" the fox nodding and uttering, "Well, there is a chance it might be my sister."

The chipmunk blinked and replied, "Oh yeah," before adding, "By the way, Noivern's finally awake. He can't quite move yet, but there's no doubt we'll be able to catch your next match. Sorry you kind of had to do that one alone."

"Hey, it's okay," Eevee replied, "You needed to be there for Noivern. And besides, I wasn't really alone. You guys were helping in spirit, and that's all I could ask for."

The chipmunk beamed and replied, "Thanks," before sighing, "I really want to head to that spa and just hang out with you, but Litwick wants to stay by Noivern's side until he's fully recovered."

However, that seemed to change when the bat sighed, "You really don't need to do this, Litwick. I don't want my loss to take away your free time. When will you have another chance to look around Tokyo?"

"Are you sure?" the candle enquired as he nodded and remarked, "Positive. Now you head out with Chespin and try to have a good time, okay? I'll be fine. Besides, I should be able to move soon."

Litwick nodded her head and uttered, "Oh, okay," before looking down and heading toward Chespin. He had just finished his call with Eevee when the two said their goodbyes and hung up. And needless to say, when Litwick told him she was ready to head out and do something else, he beamed bright. After all, he had become rather tired of spending most of his free time in the hospital, though why he chose to stick around when Litwick probably would have been fine with him being there for the others was anyone's guess.

Though along the way, they briefly passed by Popplio and gave him a look of concern. For all they knew, he would probably still be unconscious by the time the semi-finals were over. After all, his beating was far worse than anything the others had endured.

During this time, Lycanroc was currently enjoying lunch with Caterpie as she sighed, "Always with the close calls, eh?" the caterpillar nodding and replying, "I know. When that storm of arrows came at her, I really thought she was gonna lose."

He then groaned, "But goddammit, she's going to a spa and here I am stuck in bed! Damn, that Scorchicken was tough!"

Lycanroc chuckled and patted his head, saying, "It's okay. We can always book a spa day any time. Maybe when the Olympics are over, eh?" the caterpillar smiling bright as the two shared a kiss.

Needless to say, things were starting to look up thanks to Eevee's victory. But even so, one could only guess how things would go from here. Would Umbreon defeat Honedge? And if she did, was Eevee good enough to defeat her in the semi-finals? Only time would tell.


	57. Chapter 57

There was only an hour and a half before Eevee's semi-finals opponent would be revealed. But until then, she decided she may as well enjoy some time at the spa, especially after having been pierced by arrows during her match with Decidueye. And at the very least, she had certainly earned a break.

Upon arrival, though, she was shocked to see both Chespin and Litwick already inside. Both waved when they saw her as she said, "I thought you two were still-"

"Oh no," Chespin replied with a light chuckle, "Noivern told Litwick he wanted her to have some fun while she was in Tokyo, so here we are. I can't wait to get a nice massage free of charge."

Litwick blinked and uttered, "I've never gotten one before. This should be interesting," Eevee nodding and saying, "The best part is we can have some girl time together, too."

The candle blinked before the fox uttered, "Are you telling me you don't know how a spa works?" the candle shaking her head as she sighed, "Well, this is a big day in your life. I can tell you that much."

Umbreon, meanwhile, looked around before noticing a sauna. She narrowed her eyelids and thought, 'Right, Lucario almost screwed himself by working out in one of these. I'm certainly not making that mistake,' when she suddenly heard a voice coming from inside.

She opened the door lightly to see Honedge performing pushups in the sauna. She looked really determined, and thus the black fox closed the door and thought, 'Well, it probably won't be too bad for her seeing as she's made of metal. But even so, she's not the only one who's extra prepared.'

With that in mind, she marched off to find an area to train. After all, now that she knew Eevee was in the semi-finals, she wanted to make sure she would advance as well. There was no one else she wanted to fight more, save for Bewear who she wanted revenge on for what he did to Crabrawler.

During this time, Eevee and Litwick were both getting massages from buff men while Eevee cooed, "Oh, this is so nice. I really needed this," Litwick nodding. Since she could control the flame on her body, it was not as difficult for her to get treatment as one would have expected from a candle whose flame was always lit.

After a few seconds, Litwick smiled at Eevee and said, "You know, I have to admit, Chespin's been really sweet. I could tell he really wanted to do other things, but he stayed with me while I was in the hospital. He just wouldn't leave my side for a second."

"Yeah, he is a lot nicer than first impressions would indicate," Eevee chuckled, "But yeah, I'm actually kinda surprised myself that he didn't just walk out and at least come to the fight areas for a change of scenery. I guess he really cares, eh?"

The candle nodded but said nothing more. However, her flame started to burn brighter when she imagined Chespin giving her a massage instead, her wax melting a bit as her massage therapist reeled his hand back and yelped in pain. The others stared at him while Litwick whimpered, "Sorry," reverting her flame to normal.

Eevee chuckled since she had a feeling she knew where this was going. Though a part of her still wished Lycanroc could have been there to join her. And if the other guys were there, they could have given Chespin some company.

The chipmunk, all the while, really enjoyed his massage as he sighed, "Oh man, this is so nice," before thinking, 'If only there was a massage room for both genders. Then I could talk to the others. It's not like we'd be any more naked than we normally are.'

Soon enough, the time passed by as everyone headed to the back yard of the spa where the ring and bleachers had been set up. With the clouds now gone, the weather was nice, so this was perfect timing. And of course, Yukiko and Metapod were seated and ready to announce the upcoming match.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Yukiko stated, "It's been a great second round so far, but we still got one more match. We've witnessed the defeat of the chairman's son and two fighters lose in their own natural element. But now we go to a location that has been used many times over the past to witness something we're all sure will be grand."

Metapod nodded and added, "This one is especially important now that we know Eevee will be in the semi-finals. Now everyone cannot help but wonder if her sister can do the same. Just imagine the tension of these two facing off to show the world which of them is the better fighter."

Eevee folded her arms with a serious look on her face as Chespin uttered, "Oh yeah, I almost forgot about that. You might finally have a chance to show her just how good you've gotten."

Yukiko pointed to the right and stated, "In the red corner, representing Thailand is another powerful fox from the same family as Eevee! She has defeated Lycanroc in the first round and now she comes to us today to dazzle us once more! Give it up for Umbreon!"

The Thai and Japanese fans cheered, the latter feeling glad not to have to play favourites this time. Umbreon walked into the area with a dramatic score playing in the background and somersaulted toward the ring. She then flipped toward it and landed firmly on her feet, her arms raised high as the cheers only got louder.

"Well, she's just as fired up as ever," Yukiko stated before pointing to the left and adding, "And in the blue corner, we have a ghostly sword with deadly techniques! She proved herself a major threat by defeating Vikavolt despite all the damage she took in, but can she continue such an amazing streak!? We're about to find out! Honedge, everyone!"

The Egyptian fans went wild when the sword was once again carried toward the ring. However, this time her blade was planted into a stone that was being carried by four staff members. They soon set it down next to the ring before she placed her hand against her handle and pried herself out of it, shouting, "I'm the queen of the ring!"

Many stared in awe at the sheer creativity of this entrance. Sure, her last one was unexpected, but this felt more fitting for a sword.

"I can see you're a lot more prepared this time around," Umbreon stated with a light smile, "That's good. I'd hate to take down my second opponent so easily," the sword nodding and replying, "True. I wasn't completely ready for my match with Vikavolt, but now I know I can take on anyone in this tournament, even you and your sister."

"Good," Umbreon remarked, "I hope you can prove it. Though where is your sheath, if you don't mind me asking?"

The crowd had to admit that was a good point. The whole reason Honedge had that was to avoid cutting innocent people. But luckily, it seemed she had not ditched it when she directed everyone's attention toward a staff member who was currently holding onto it for her.

With that in mind, both fighters were more than ready. They stood on opposite sides of the ring as Yukiko stated, "The combatants are set. Therefor, we shall begin," before ringing the bell.

Umbreon stood her ground when Honedge leaned backward and lifted herself up with her palm. She then swung around in a circle while thinking, 'Don't think I wasn't paying attention to your match. You may have skill, but I've been preparing myself for this,' a ghostly aura covering the tip of her blade.

After a couple of seconds, she launched herself toward the black fox and shouted, "SACRED PINWHEEL!" However, Umbreon easily saw this coming as she leapt into the air. However, it seemed as if Honedge was one step ahead when she lifted up her arm and took hold of her ankle. Thus Umbreon's eyes widened with shock as she was flung back-first into the turnbuckle.

Eevee's eyes were wide. She could not believe her sister had fallen for something like that. And it did not end there when Honedge grabbed the top of the rope she was headed toward and flipped herself over it with her blade pointed upward. The Egyptian crowd cheered wildly as she then used the rope like a slingshot and flew back toward Umbreon.

"SACRED SWORD!" she spat while she spun vertically and put a big gash in the black fox's front side. Umbreon cried out in agonizing pain when blood flew out of her, Honedge backing up with an implied smile on her eye, thinking, 'Wow, I can't believe that worked so well.'

"The match has only lasted a minute, and already Honedge has the upper hand," Yukiko said, "After her previous matches here, many thought Umbreon would be ready for whatever the sword had to dish out, but that one fake-out has put her at a major disadvantage."

Things only got worse when Honedge sent a hard punch into Umbreon's face. She then opened her hand and clasped it onto that same spot, hurling the black fox over her head as she fell hard on her back, the Egyptian crowd beyond ecstatic.

"Damn," Chespin uttered while trembling, "Umbreon's not looking so good," Eevee biting her lip and thinking, 'Come on, sis. You're so much better than this. After everything you said to me, I refuse to see you lose to anyone else in this tournament.'

Honedge knew better than to leap into the air like she had against Vikavolt. It was just as the beetle said. She had to be absolutely certain that Umbreon would not avoid her. And with how the black fox seemed to struggle to get up, there was no doubt that she was in the perfect condition for this to work.

'Yes!' the sword thought as she leapt into the air and pointed her blade right at Umbreon's back. But when she descended, the black fox immediately rolled out of the way thus resulting in her being stuck in the mat. Her eye widened with shock as she uttered, "What!? I did exactly what Vikavolt told me to do in this kind of situation!"

"Yes, you waited to see if I was in good enough condition to avoid it," Umbreon replied with her arms folded, "It is impressive that you took that into consideration. Unfortunately for you, I was faking it."

Honedge's eye was wide with horror while she tried desperately to pry herself out of the material. However, Umbreon would not allow her to as she conjured up a dark aura around her paws and sent a barrage of karate chops into her face. The Thai and Japanese fans cheered while Yukiko stated, "Just as it seemed like this would be the shortest match in the tournament, Umbreon fakes out Honedge and delivers an onslaught of fierce karate chops."

"Kind of funny how you were able to remove yourself from a stone but not the canvas," Umbreon said tauntingly before Honedge grunted, "The hole was already in the stone before I lodged myself in it!"

This hardly seemed to matter when she took in more chops before realizing something she could do. As such, she used her hand to block the next karate chop and growled, "Did you forget my blade isn't my only weapon?"

"Of course not," Umbreon retorted as she used her free hand to grab onto the sword's arm. She then pried her out of the mat before leaning backward and planting her back into the surface.

Eevee smiled lightly while Litwick stated, "She's doing really well now. I can see why she's your sister. She has the same knack for getting out of tight spots."

'Well, that and she doesn't often find herself in as many tight spots to escape from,' Eevee thought as the black fox sent her elbow into the flat side of Honedge's blade.

When she was ready to take things further, Honedge frowned and placed her hand firmly against the mat. She then pushed herself up and spat, "SACRED SWORD!" sending it toward Umbreon's chin.

The black fox narrowly dodged in time as she had a brief look of fear. And with her distracted, the sword kept up her handstand and sent more slashes forward. Umbreon continued to dodge each one while looking for some way to catch the sword off guard again. After all, the last thing she wanted was to take in another slash.

She soon saw something she could do and thus slid downward and aimed her foot toward Honedge's wrist. However, the sword saw this coming and propelled herself upward long enough to evade the blow and trap Umbreon's ankle in place with her hand. She then implied a smirk and sent her blade downward into her back.

The crowd gasped while Umbreon winced in pain. Honedge had made sure not to have the blade go all the way through and to aim away from her chest. But either way, the black fox was in serious trouble now since this strike made her feel weaker than she expected it to. And it only got worse when Honedge lifted her up only to wrap her arm around her and leap backward, planting the back of her head into the canvas.

The Egyptian fans went wild while Yukiko exclaimed, "Despite having only one arm, Honedge has pulled off a suplex! It's a good thing that stab made Umbreon weak enough for that to work!"

"Sis!" Eevee squeaked as she stood up in her seat. She could not hide her concern like her sister often did. She was not used to seeing her struggle this much, especially when the match had not even gone for five minutes yet.

Yukiko started the ten count as no one could believe what they were seeing. Was the final match of round two over already? Even Caterpie's fight lasted much longer than this, and it was the shortest one so far.

The sword breathed heavily and implied a smile with her eye, thinking, 'Wow! I really did it! I'm gonna face Eevee in the semi-finals! This is so awesome!'

But just as Yukiko reached five seconds, Umbreon's eyes shot open and she pushed herself up. She then sent her feet hard into the sword's face thus knocking her on her back while the Thai and Japanese crowd cheered wildly.

"It would seem that his match is not over yet," Yukiko stated as Eevee breathed a sigh of relief, the woman adding, "Umbreon makes a fast recovery and retaliates with a flying kick!"

Things were about to look worse for Honedge as the black fox latched her ankles to her handle and grunted, "I'll admit, that was very impressive. But like you, I have no intention of losing this match!"

A dark aura surrounded her legs when she leapt high above the mat, carrying the sword with her. She then leaned backwards and grasped onto the end of her blade, ignoring the cuts this put on her palms. And with that she flipped herself and Honedge upside-down and descended toward the ring, shouting, "FULL MOON CRASH!"

She managed to bend Honedge's handle back just enough for her face to make contact with the canvas.

Needless to say, she received many loud cheers while she released her hold and allowed the sword to collapse, breathing heavily and turning to face her. Seeing as her opponent was made of steel, she had a feeling this might not be enough to end it.

Sure enough, she was right as Honedge flipped herself upright. She then scowled and grunted, "No! I won't let you win!" before sending a hard punch toward Umbreon.

The black fox easily dodged it and sent a high kick into the sword's face. As such, she was once again knocked on her back before Umbreon leapt toward her with her knee pointed at her.

What happened next shocked everyone in the area as Honedge lifted her hand up and shouted, "NO!" Suddenly, her palm glowed and a bright blue circle appeared in front of it. When Umbreon made contact, she felt a strange jolt of energy go through her as she cried out in pain and fell on her back.

Eevee stared and uttered, "What just happened?" as Chespin and Litwick shrugged. No one, not even the Egyptian fans, knew what was going on.

However, Honedge seemed to realize exactly what she had done when she looked at her hand and uttered, "I can't believe it. Did I just use my grandma's King's Shield ability? I didn't think I could."

Upon hearing this, the crowd talked amongst themselves while Metapod stated, "Well, folks, you heard it yourself. Somehow, despite not being born with a shield like Aegislash, Honedge has managed to use her infamous King's Shield, only her version seems to be even stronger. This is truly amazing!"

The sword noticed Umbreon still writhing in pain and thus took a deep breath and thought, 'Right! I need to take advantage of this!' before leaping backward toward the turnbuckle and balancing herself on top of it with her hand. She then spun herself around in a circular motion before flinging toward the black fox shortly after she got up.

"SACRED PINWHEEL!" she exclaimed only for Umbreon to leap toward the opposite turnbuckle. And just like Honedge, she placed a firm grip against the turnbuckle and swung around in a circle before launching herself off and spinning her entire body with a dark aura covering her, shouting, "SWIRLING NIGHT BLADE!"

Both fighters looked like cyclones when they collided with one-another. And despite Honedge's blade pressing up against Umbreon's paws and causing small bits of blood to fly out, the black fox continued to spin as if this meant nothing to her. And soon enough, it seemed as if her attack was the more powerful of the two when Honedge lost focus and slowed down. This was all Umbreon needed as she advanced forward and sent the sword flying into the same turnbuckle she had flung herself off of.

Honedge's eye spun as she slid down the side of the pole, the Egyptian crowd staring in shock while the Thai and Japanese fans cheered. Even Eevee was resisting the urge to join them, Chespin and Litwick staring in shock.

As expected, Umbreon was covered in cuts. She even had a few small slits on her forehead. And yet despite all of that, she had still managed to overpower Honedge, proving just how strong her dark type powers were.

Yukiko started the ten count while Metapod stated, "And in a shocking display, Umbreon has managed to send Honedge flying with a very similar move. But will this be enough to end it for good?"

Silence filled the crowd as Yukiko reached seven seconds. At that moment, Honedge started to twitch, her eye slowly opening as she grunted, "No! I'm too close to..."

However, after a few seconds, her eye closed and she passed out for good as Yukiko did not even need to count to ten. Thus she rang the bell and exclaimed, "And after a very intense and bloody match, Umbreon is our winner! Therefor she will move on to face Eevee in the semi-finals!"

The Thai and Japanese crowd went wild while Umbreon folded her arms and gave Eevee a cold stare. The brown fox frowned. While her main goal was to finally get her to admit that she had gotten better as a fighter, if she could actually defeat her sister, that would be truly amazing.

"Well, folks, this has been an incredible second round!" Metapod exclaimed, "But don't forget to join us three days from now! Unlike the first two rounds, both matches will take place back-to-back in one location starting at noon! The place in question is the Nippon Budokan! I hope to see you all there!"

The crowd was beyond excited, though the Thai fans were unsure of who they should support. This decision was easier for the Japanese as they had seen Eevee in action more and owed her for the times she and her friends saved Tokyo from certain doom.

"This is really exciting, isn't it?" Chespin asked as Eevee nodded and replied, "Yeah," her serious look not leaving her face for a second. She would use these three days as best as she could, even if it meant never taking so much as one break.


	58. Chapter 58

With three days to go before the semi-finals, Eevee was sure to be hard at work. However, before she started on training, she decided to head to the hospital to check on the others. And while Chespin and Litwick would have joined her, Noivern had told the candle to have some fun while she was still in Tokyo. As such, she decided to head off to enjoy herself while Chespin volunteered to be a tour guide for her.

When Eevee entered, though, she was shocked to see Noivern in the lobby. As it so happened, he had just been told that he was okay to leave. As such, the fox ran over to him and squealed, "Noivern, you're okay!"

The bat turned and smiled before saying, "Nice to see you too, Eevee. I saw the end of your match earlier. Nice to see you haven't been slipping up since we fought back then."

"Of course not," the fox retorted as she stuck her tongue out playfully, "By the way, do you know how Caterpie and Popplio are doing? I'm also a little worried about Crabrawler seeing as he took in similar torment."

"Yeah, Chespin told me about that," Noivern sighed, "You'd better be careful. It sounds to me like Bewear could very well end up being your opponent in the finals. A part of me is kind of glad I didn't see his matches with Crabrawler and Popplio, but I also wish I did so I could help you out."

"It's fine," the fox replied with a light smile, "I'm sure by the time the finals come around, Popplio will be awake. Then he could help me prepare, assuming Scorchicken doesn't beat him first. Then you and Caterpie could both help me."

"Either way, it's win-win," the bat said with a grin before enquiring, "So, how are you going to prepare for your match with Umbreon? She's your sister, right?"

"Yeah," Eevee replied, "That's why, honestly, I'd much rather be alone for these next three days. I just feel like this match will be really special, like I should seriously train for this one by myself. Of all of my opponents so far, Umbreon's the only one I know just about everything about. I know her signature moves and her tendency to fake injuries and take advantage of her enemies. All that stuff, you know."

Noivern nodded and replied, "That's understandable. But don't forget, we'll all be there to support you," the fox nodding and replying, "That's all I could really ask for."

With that, the fox gave the bat a quick goodbye and saw him off. She then went to check up on Caterpie and was glad to hear that he would be up and about real soon. Thankfully, Scorchicken had not gone too overboard when facing him.

After that, Eevee went to check up on Popplio and stared at him with a distraught look. She could tell that he would be the only one unable to attend her match with Umbreon. But she could not let that get her down. She knew he would be cheering for her in spirit, and at the very least, he was likely to be conscious when the match started.

She then passed by Crabrawler's room only to see Umbreon by his bedside. As such, she let out a sigh and decided to exit the hospital. She had already gotten enough rest from her fight with Decidueye, so she felt ready to start training as soon as possible.

During this time, though, a plane from Thailand had just arrived at the airport. Surprisingly, though, Eevee's parents were not among the passengers. Instead, the shrew, Cyndaquil, emerged as she breathed in the air and squealed, "So this is Tokyo! Oh, Eevee will be so surprised to see me!"

When Eevee returned home, she immediately made herself some dinner. But along with her usual salad, she also put Popplio's expertise to the test and made herself a nice dish consisting of fish, rice and greens. With all that had happened, this just felt right.

Once dinner was finished, she took a deep breath and thought, 'If he'd been here to try this, I'm sure he would have been proud. But oh well. What matters right now is how awesome I'll be when I face Umbreon.'

With that in mind, she immediately sprinted out the door and headed toward the nearest park she could find. And once there, she started to train vigorously, using stones as practice dummies and running laps to increase her speed. And during that time, quite a few people watched her with much interest.

After a while, the fox's ears perked up when she heard a familiar high-pitched voice squeal, "I finally found you!"

Eevee uttered, "Could it be-?" before slowly turning and seeing Cyndaquil right there. She had a big smile on her face while the two ran toward one-another. And once they were close enough, they held each other in a tight embrace, Eevee squealing, "I didn't know you were here!"

"Well, of course you didn't," Cyndaquil replied with a sweet smile, "I only just arrived. Though I have seen your matches and you're awesome!"

The fox grinned and said, "Damn straight I am," before sighing, "And I'm sure you know who I'm going up against, right?"

"Yeah," Cyndaquil replied with a light nod, "You must be so nervous. I remember how she used to be so mean to you all the time. She'd always insult you and talk about how weak you were. But then again, that was back when we were still little kids. Surely she's not like that now, right?"

"Well, she's eased up a little, but not a lot," Eevee grumbled, "I wanna wipe the mat with her face so she finally admits that I'm a good fighter. That's why I'm gonna train harder than I ever have before. By the time the match is over, she'll regret looking down on me all these years."

The shrew stared briefly before nodding and suggesting, "I'll help you out. We can go to a gym where they'll have training equipment and all that stuff."

Eevee blinked and uttered, "That sounds great, but I kinda wanna do this alone, you know? Normally, I'd be happy to get help, but seeing as this is my sister and all that, it just feels right."

The shrew once again stared before shrugging and replying, "Well, okay. But if you feel you need help, I'm free," before turning around to head off and adding, "I'll leave you to your training now."

After a few seconds, Eevee sprinted toward Cyndaquil and sighed, "Well, come to think of it, maybe I could use a little help. Besides, this might be our last chance to hang out for a long time, right?" the shrew smiling lightly and nodding her head.

Soon enough, the duo arrived at a gym that would only be open for a few more hours. After all, it was pretty late in the day, but the duo would be sure to return the next morning. Eevee even considering calling up her friends to help out as well. After all, most of them would be in good enough health by then.

For the time being, though, she mainly wanted to use this as quality time with Cyndaquil. Sure, it was not exactly a fun activity, but it was still a chance for them to connect after having been away from one-another for so long.

All the while, Caterpie had finally left the hospital and was headed home as he sighed, "Finally, I can move again. I hope I never have to go back there any time soon."

Lycanroc chuckled and said, "It wasn't that bad. They gave you free meals," the caterpillar sighing, "Yeah, but I get higher quality ones at home. Oh well, at least you were there to make it less boring."

The wolf grinned and replied, "Aren't you just a little softie?" before pinching his cheek, "You know, the night's still young. Maybe we can go for a walk in the park or something like that, eh?"

Caterpie's eyes sparkled as he replied, "That would be wonderful." And with that, the two were off to enjoy their first real date.

Along the way, though, they noticed Scorchicken currently in an empty basketball course. But rather than playing the sport in question, she had a ton of metal practice dummies set up and was delivering one hit after the next into each one. Needless to say, she was determined to defeat Bewear when it was finally their time to fight.

"Guess Eevee's not the only one getting in some early training, eh?" the caterpillar asked when the chicken overheard him and turned. When she saw who it was, she sighed, "Oh, it's you."

She then walked over with a light smile and said, "Good to see you up and about, future chairman," Caterpie laughing nervously and replying, "Let's not get ahead of ourselves. It may have worked for three generations of my family, but what are the odds of me getting that spot as well?"

He then looked at her dummies and added, "We can see you're hard at work, so we'll just be on our way," Lycanroc nodding and giving the chicken a light wave. However, Scorchicken bit her lower lip and said, "Wait."

Both gave her an odd look while she said, "Look, these dummies are good practice, but they're not exactly moving targets. I know you just came out of the hospital and all, but would you like to spar with me? After today's match, I think you'd make an excellent partner."

Caterpie eyes were wide with shock as he uttered, "Really?" the chicken nodding before fire formed in his eyes. Like she said, it was weird to do this after he had just left the hospital, but he felt pumped up as he exclaimed, "Hell yeah I'll help you train!"

Lycanroc nodded and replied, "You can count on me too," all the while thinking, 'I was looking forward to that walk, but I guess we'll always get chances like that. It's just nice to see Caterpie so fired up.'

Meanwhile, Bewear, much like before, was not even trying to prepare himself. Instead, he retreated to the hotel he had stayed at this whole time and went to bed early. And what was even stranger was that he had no intention of training for all three days. He found it meaningless, and after both of his fights so far, perhaps he did not really need it.

After a couple of hours, Eevee and Cyndaquil had just finished a sparring match with one-another in a ring set aside for that very purpose. Both were exhausted as they breathed heavily, the fox saying, "Damn, you're just as tough as you were when we fought."

"Right back at ya," Cyndaquil replied, "Though I guess you're a little better considering you actually have a new signature move. I'm still impressed you're able to pull that off."

"I know," Eevee replied with a sigh, "But even so, I'm starting to wonder if this is really something to be proud of."

The shrew gave her an odd look while she continued, "It's just, well, my rise to fame was when I created my Flying Fox Wheel. But there's just one problem. Every single one of those is just a normal version of a signature move used by one of my ancestors. Hell, I can't even think of an attack from Espeon that I can use. All I got from her was a defensive manoeuvre that I rarely ever use."

Cyndaquil shrugged and asked, "What's wrong with that?" the fox raising an eyebrow as she continued, "Think about it. These moves have gotten you far. And considering you're the only normal type in your family, it's amazing you're able to replicate the moves of your ancestors so well. I mean, I don't even have an original move. Every single technique I know has been in my family for generations."

Eevee's eyes widened as the shrew added, "Besides, you may have learned these moves from those before you, but you still made them your own. And even though they're not powered by elements, they're still strong enough to take adversaries like Decidueye down with ease. That's no small feat."

The fox nodded and uttered, "Wow, I never thought of it that way," a light smile on her face, "Yeah. I guess there is no shame in what I've been doing so far. In fact, you just gave me a great idea for how I can catch Umbreon off guard."

Cyndaquil looked a tad confused by that statement, but it also sounded promising. There was no doubt that Eevee could win this match now. But, of course, there was still the remaining time left to prepare herself and she was going to use every minute of it.

Meanwhile, Lycanroc and Caterpie had finished training with Scorchicken and were exhausted. All three breathed heavily as Lycanroc groaned, "Even with both of us fighting together, you still gave us a run for our money."

The chicken smirked and remarked, "I can tell you've never faced a member of the Torch family. That level of badassery runs in our genes."

"I believe that," Caterpie sighed, "Man, there's no way Bewear can beat you. You're just too good," the chicken sighing, "That's mighty flattering, but I know I'll need to keep going if I'm gonna put that guy in his place. He gives me really bad vibes, you know?"

Lycanroc nodded and said, "He is pretty scary, isn't he? Look at me. I have no pupils and I find a weird teddy bear frightening," Caterpie chuckling and kissing her on the cheek.

Scorchicken smirked and sat down, sighing, "Thanks so much. This really means a lot to me. I know you two probably had your own plans, but you put them aside for me. That's really cool."

Caterpie nodded and replied, "Hey, friends stick together, right?" the chicken's eyes widening.

She could not believe what she had just heard. Had he really just called her his friend? They barely knew each other and yet he considered her a friend. Needless to say, that made her really happy as she lifted up both her fists and pounded them against Caterpie and Lycanroc's.

During this time, Chespin was headed to his shack with Litwick by his side. The two had spent the day having a fun time when the chipmunk said, "I'm guessing you'd like to head back to your suite and see Noivern up and about, eh?"

The candle nodded and replied, "Yeah. I hope he can join us tomorrow. It'll be much more fun. Though I had a lot of fun with you today."

Chespin smiled and said, "That's good to hear," as he approached his home and added, "Well, here I am. Goodnight, Litwick."

"Nighty night," the candle replied when suddenly, she kissed the chipmunk on the cheek. She then headed off, shocked that she had just done that while Chespin stared with his eyes and mouth wide open. He then sported a goofy smile and walked awkwardly toward the entrance to his shack, uttering complete gibberish to himself as if he was drunk.

By the time ten o'clock rolled around, it was already two hours after the gym closed. As such, Eevee and Cyndaquil were jogging home as the fox texted her friends to let them know she had changed her mind about training alone. And along the way, she sighed, "I just wish Popplio was awake right now."

Cyndaquil nodded and replied, "Yeah. I'd love to actually meet him. After all, you said he was the one who pushed you in the right direction, right?"

The fox nodded with a light smile. Even after all the fights she had won, it still astounded her just how well she had done. And all of it was thanks to Popplio's guidance. When Mapin left the group, Eevee was ready to give up. But just when things looked their worst, the seal gave her the confidence she needed to take that first step toward glory and she had not lost a match since.

'Just you wait,' she thought with a serious look in her eyes and a grin on her face, 'I can guarantee this will be my best match yet. I might even win the Olympics. Now that would be amazing.'

Soon enough, they arrived at Eevee's house as the fox asked, "Hey, Cyndaquil, I'm assuming you haven't found a hotel yet, right? Why don't you crash here for a while? Seeing as you're my training partner for a while, it just seems fitting."

A big smile formed on Cyndaquil's face before she squealed, "Hell yeah!" the two racing up the steps and heading inside of Eevee's suite. The shrew's house in her respective city, Radom, was bigger and nicer, but she would dare not bring that up. She was just happy to be able to spend a few nights with her childhood friend.

The two had quick showers and headed to bed together, Eevee uttering, "Sorry there are no guest rooms," as Cyndaquil giggled, "You say that like it's a bad thing. We used to sleep over at each other's houses constantly, remember?"

The fox nodded and replied, "Yeah. I'm really glad you stopped by. You've really helped relieve some of the stress of all of this. And hey, you might get to meet the others tomorrow, assuming they're up to helping me train."

"I can't wait," the shrew said. She then stared at the ceiling and added, "I really envy you, Eevee."

"Me!?" the fox squeaked as she nodded and explained, "You have a really nice life here. A decent home, so many friends to help you out when you need it, one of them being the chairman's son. And look at your track record. You say you had a rough start, but things really turned out great in the end, didn't they?"

Eevee blinked and said, "You're right. But, you know, it's not like my friends only have to be mine. I can introduce you to them at any time. I'm sure they'll love you. I mean, hell, they all put up with me for this long."

She then laughed while Cyndaquil smiled lightly, liking the sound of that. And with all said and done, the two friends said good night to one-another and fell asleep. There was no doubt things would turn out for the best in the end.

All the while, Scorchicken retreated to a hotel suite and lay in bed herself. She looked up at the ceiling and thought, 'Alright, Bewear, you'd better watch out. In three days, that psychotic look on your face is gonna turn to fear. I just know it.'

Umbreon, meanwhile, was still awake as she had visited the hospital one last time. As it so happened, Crabrawler would finally be awake in two days, meaning he could attend her match with Eevee. Needless to say, that was certainly good news for her as she had a light smile on her face.

"Well, Eevee, you're not the only one who will have support during our match," she stated to herself with a sigh. She seemed to think nothing else, though, as she headed to a hotel suite of her own. A part of her wished that she did not have to wait three days for the match, but she was interested to see how prepared Eevee would be by then.


	59. Chapter 59

It was a bright sunny day and after a good hearty breakfast, Eevee and Cyndaquil were off to the gym to train. However, the fox had texted her friends to join her, and luckily, all of them were more than up to it. Of course, Popplio would not be among them due to the fact that he would still be in the hospital by the time the semi-finals began.

Upon calling Caterpie up, he gave them an offer that made the gym sound obsolete. As such, the duo took him up on his suggestion to train in his mansion. After all, he had a really nice facility for it and Cyndaquil had always dreamt of stepping foot in such a building, so this was perfect.

And soon enough, the entire group was together as Eevee smiled at the others and said, "Before we begin, I'd like you all to meet Cyndaquil. She and I go way back."

The shrew nodded and added, "We've been best buds since elementary school," Caterpie nodding and saying, "That's right. You put our trip home on hold to watch her graduation match, right?"

"You saw that?" Cyndaquil enquired as Eevee laughed nervously and replied, "Yeah. You were awesome as always."

Noivern tapped his chin and grinned, saying, "Hey, I've seen you before," the shrew blinking as he nodded and stated, "That's right. I saw you online. You were Eevee's only opponent in the qualification tournament," the others staring, shocked that he was the only one who had remembered to look that up.

"So you got to face a friend?" Chespin uttered, "You're so lucky. My last opponent turned the entire crowd against me," the others laughing nervously.

"Well, either way, it's awesome to meet you," Lycanroc said with a grin while she held out her paw, the shrew shaking it before doing the same for the others.

And while training, the other heroes told Cyndaquil bits of and pieces about themselves while she did the same. She was rather surprised to hear that the son of Hero Planet's chairman was dating a wolf with naturally bad posture, but she also found it sweet. And of course, hearing about her past and how she, Litwick and Noivern used to fight for evil was truly fascinating.

Three hours passed and everyone was exhausted. And while they all decided to take a break, Noivern turned to Eevee and asked, "So, just out of curiosity, what changed your mind? You said you wanted to do this alone, right?"

The others were equally interested as the fox sighed, "Well, I thought it would be a good idea since Umbreon's family and all, but, well, let's just say I got a nice reminder of how much of a help you guys have always been."

Cyndaquil smiled as Caterpie said, "It's not just us. You and the others have had a great influence on me, especially Lycanroc," the wolf blushing lightly and placing her paws against her cheeks.

"Same here," Chespin added with a big smile, "You all made me feel important, like I could make up for my past actions," Litwick beaming bright as she felt the same.

"Yep, this is a great group of friends," Eevee sighed, "I just really wish Popplio could be here with us," the others nodding in agreement.

After a few seconds, Lycanroc shrugged and suggested, "Let's go visit him in the hospital after lunch," Caterpie nodding and replying, "Yeah, though I doubt he'll be awake. He took in a worse beating than Crabrawler, and from what I can gather, he's still out cold."

Cyndaquil nodded and sighed, "It's fine if you'd rather not do that. It might be a good idea to wait until he's all better, right?" the others looking at one-another and shrugging their shoulders. If anything, this still seemed like a good idea.

During this time, Umbreon was hard at work in a field. Since it was a wide open space, this seemed like an ideal place to exercise as she had brought wooden dummies and sandbags to try her skills on. Of course, due to her surprisingly high strength, she wound up breaking all of them, the last bag coming open when she sent a flying kick into it.

With her training out of the way, she sat down in a meditative state. She took a deep breath and thought, 'That wasn't good enough. I need something better. Maybe I should go to the mountains again. At least there, I can whale on stones.'

She then shook her head as her mind added, 'No, I can't always pick the same location. I need to mix it up a bit. I know Eevee is probably trying her hardest, and so will I.'

At that moment, she remembered the conversation she and Eevee had at the aquarium. Specifically, the moment she was focused on the most was when the brown fox brought up how the two of them used to get along really well when they were kids. Just thinking about this brought light tears to her eyes as they rolled down her cheeks.

'Just a little bit longer,' she thought, 'Try to hold out until then. All will be revealed in due time.'

An hour later, Eevee and her friends arrived at the hospital to check up on Popplio. And sure enough, he was still out cold while Cyndaquil looked at him and thought, 'This is that great strategist? He looks like a clown.'

Seeing the look of worry on Eevee's face, though, she said nothing as Chespin sighed, "I know how you feel. Seeing the guy who turned my life around in this state is pretty sad," Eevee nodding and replying, "Well, at least he's still alive, right? Besides, he probably wouldn't want us dwelling on this."

With that in mind, the group bowed to him before taking their leave. Eevee was right. If anything, Popplio would want them all to focus on helping their friend advance as opposed to worrying about him during their free time.

And so, the group trained until five. At that time, Caterpie arranged a dinner for everyone, Cyndaquil looking at the spread with her eyes sparkling as she squealed, "Wow! And you and Lycanroc eat like this everyday!?"

"Yeah, pretty much," the caterpillar replied with a smile when suddenly, Metapod entered and said, "Oh, hey, son. I didn't know we had guests over."

The shrew stared in stunned silence as Eevee waved at her and asked, "You okay?"

At that moment, Cyndaquil rose up from her seat and slowly approached Metapod. The chrysalis stared at her until she pulled a pen and paper seemingly out of nowhere. She then asked for his autograph as the group laughed lightly. In hindsight, they should have seen that coming.

"Well, always nice to meet a fan," Metapod said with a bright smile before thinking, 'Why is this literally the first time I've ever been asked for one of these?'

Cyndaquil grinned and said, "It must be so cool having him live here with you," as Caterpie replied, "This is only until the Olympics end. But yeah, having Dad here for company is alright, especially now that he's not pushing his own agenda on me anymore."

The shrew stared awkwardly until Eevee whispered, "It's a long story."

And so, the rest of the evening went rather well. Once dinner was over, Chespin was ready to return home while Litwick and Noivern were off to their suite. Eevee and Cyndaquil, on the other hand, intended to spend a couple of hours at the gym before heading home for good. After all, the fox still needed to get more training in if she was to have any hope of defeating her sister.

Once they were all off, Caterpie blinked and said, "You know, I wonder how Scorchicken's doing. I actually wouldn't have minded having her over to train. I know we've only just sort of met her, but I just wanna see her beat Bewear, you know?"

Lycanroc nodded and said, "Well, I read an article earlier today saying Bewear was caught on camera stuffing his face at a fast food restaurant. And that's not all. He's been seen out of his hotel room almost the entire day but not for training purposes."

"Wow, this is gonna be easy," the caterpillar replied.

This seemed to be the case as the bear was in his hotel suite, ready for his own dinner. He opened up a cupboard and pulled out a pot of honey. But when he opened it, this did not seem like any ordinary honey. It was dark purple and emitted rancid fumes.

He dipped his entire paw into it and pulled out a large amount before stuffing it into his mouth. He swallowed it whole before letting out a light belch and closing the lid. And after that, he lashed out his claws and smirked wickedly, saying, "By the time our match comes around, I'll be ready to unleash my full potential."

Once the next day came, everyone met up at Caterpie's mansion for training. They got in much more today since Eevee felt more than prepared for her match now. But just as everyone was seated for dinner, Metapod joining them this time, the fox tapped her glass to get everyone's attention.

"Hey, everyone," she said with a smile, "I can't thank you all enough for all the help you've given me."

"Hey, it was no problem," Noivern replied with a grin, "We'd do anything for such a good friend," Litwick nodding and adding, "Yeah. It's been nice spending time with all of you."

Cyndaquil folded her arms and sighed, "You're going somewhere with this, aren't you?" as Eevee nodded and replied, "Yes. As fun as this has been, my initial plan was to train by myself. And, well, I feel like I should at least do that tomorrow. At the very least, it'll give you guys time to do your own stuff, right?"

The others stared until Chespin uttered, "Are you sure about that? This isn't exactly inconvenient for any of us."

Eevee nodded and replied, "Positive. Besides, there's something I kinda wanna work on alone as well. That also means I don't want you helping me either, Cyndaquil."

The shrew stared silently for a few seconds. However, she ultimately understood as she nodded her head and said, "Okay. This'll give me plenty of time to look around Tokyo."

Noivern and Litwick nodded in agreement, Chespin saying, "Hey, I can show you guys some more great locations," Caterpie and Lycanroc gasping, "We can finally have our first date!"

Metapod's eyes sparkled until the caterpillar shook his head. He then let out a sigh and nodded, realizing Caterpie and Lycanroc would rather do their own thing and not have him a chaperone. They had known each other long enough, after all.

"Thanks for being cool about this," Eevee said with a big smile before focusing on dinner along with everyone else. Needless to say, their friendship really was strong.

And so for the remaining time, Eevee trained by herself at the gym. All the while, the others did exactly what they were planning to. And of course, both Umbreon and Scorchicken were just as focused on preparing themselves for the semi-finals as Eevee was.

Once night rolled around, Eevee got ready for bed early while Cyndaquil decided to stay up a little later. Since she had not helped the fox train today, she had more energy. And the fox happily accepted this since she needed a moment alone anyway.

Upon entering her room, she pulled out her cellphone and looked through her contacts, selecting one in particular. She held the device up to her ear, getting an answer as she beamed and said, "Hi, Mommy."

"Oh, hello, sweetie," the orange fox replied with a grin before calling out, "Hey, Chanchai, Eevee's on the phone!"

After a few seconds, it seemed the man had entered the room as Flareon turned it to the speaker setting. As such, Chanchai was now able to give his daughter a nice hello.

"We've seen your matches so far," Flareon said with a grin, "We are so proud of you. Even if you don't win the tournament, you're always a champion in our book."

"No kidding," Chanchai sighed, "Seriously, that Drampa had some nerve playing with your emotions like that. Good on you for putting him in his place."

Eevee nodded before asking, "You guys know who I'm going up against in the semi-finals, right?"

"Of course," Flareon replied, "We really wish we could be there in person to watch you two square off. We can't believe things actually turned out that way."

Eevee smiled weakly and uttered, "Yeah, I know. It almost doesn't feel real, like it's all just some contrived plot twist in a story or something," all three going silent for a few seconds before she added, "Anyway, I just wanna let you know I've been preparing really hard for this one. I'm not gonna hold back, even if Umbreon is family."

"We figured as much," Chanchai replied, "Just know that whoever wins, we will always love both of you equally. Don't think we're just gonna favour the winner," Flareon sighing, "I'm sure she already knows that, honey."

"You know it, Mom," Eevee said with a grin, "Though why couldn't you two be here? I've heard most work places are closed for this event."

"Well, actually, this is a little embarrassing to admit," Flareon uttered with a nervous chuckle, "It kinda slipped our mind until just now. If we'd remembered, we would have taken a flight there as soon as possible. Though we'll be sure to make it to the finals and see whichever one of you two square off against the first winner."

Eevee lowered her eyelids and grumbled, "Really? You forgot?" both Flareon and Chanchai looking ashamed until she sighed, "Oh well, I'll be happy knowing you guys are at least watching me. Besides, I got my friends to cheer me on from the stands."

Both parents breathed a sigh of relief before Flareon said, "Anyway, again, we are just so proud of you. Do your best, alright?" both parents wishing Eevee a good night and hanging up.

The fox took a deep breath and looked up at the ceiling, thinking, 'By the time our match is over, you won't underestimate me anymore, Umbreon. You'll see that I really am worthy of the Chimlin name.'

And after a good night's sleep, the big day had finally come as thousands of people were gathered at Nippon Budokan. While today may not have been as exciting as the finals would be, everyone still highly anticipated both matches.

Scorchicken was currently in a preparation area as she trained herself for the big match. And with only an hour, she would surely need it. She could not allow herself to meet the same fate as Crabrawler and Popplio, not only because of her determination to win the Olympics for the Torch family but because she felt something off about Bewear.

After putting a hole in a punching bag, she took a deep breath and said, "Yeah, I'm ready for this. I just wish you were here to see this, Mom."

The seats were currently filled with Umbreon and Eevee seated on opposite sides. And of course, this time their friends were able to join them with Crabrawler taking a seat next to the black fox while carrying popcorn and a soda.

"Really?" she uttered as he sighed, "I can't help it. I've never gone this long without food," before shovelling a clawful of popcorn into his mouth.

Umbreon chuckled briefly until the crab turned to her and uttered, "Are you laughing?" only for her to clear her throat and remark, "I'm just glad to see you up and about is all."

All the while, Cyndaquil folded her arms behind her head and sighed, "I wish your match was first, Eevee. I don't even know anything about Scorchicken," the others staring in confusion. Had the shrew only watched Eevee's matches and no one else's? Surely she must have known about her lineage.

"Well, I can't wait to see Bewear's smug face get kicked in," Chespin grumbled with his arms folded, "Seriously, that guy doesn't deserve to win the Olympics," Litwick nodding and whimpering, "Yeah. He gives off bad vibes."

At that moment, a stranger dressed in a big raincoat entered the stands. Many gave her odd looks before shrugging their shoulders and looking back at the ring, highly anticipating the start of the match.

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls!" Metapod announced, "It's almost time for the semi-finals to begin! We only have a little less than an hour, but I just know these matches will be incredible! As I mentioned before, both will take place here, meaning there will be no change of location. But not only that, both of these are match ups I think a lot of us wanted to see."

Yukiko nodded and replied, "Damn straight. Bewear is currently very popular with the Japanese crowd and many here want to see Scorchicken win considering how her family has been trying to win that championship belt for ages. But of course, the real highlight of today will likely be the second match, which will be between two rivalling sisters."

Eevee narrowed her eyelids and folded her arms. Much like Cyndaquil, a part of her really did want this to start sooner. She had prepared so hard for this that she just wanted to show Umbreon exactly how ready she was right now.

Scorchicken once again got dressed in her cowboy outfit, only this time she decided to try something different as she pulled out a thin box. But whatever was inside would be revealed when she her presence was announced. Needless to say, the audience was in for a treat.

And like before, Bewear did not seem to prepare himself at all. The only difference was that he had brought his strange honey with him this time and decided to eat a little bit before the match began. But just as he was about to put it back into a picnic basket he brought with him, he blinked and thought, 'Wait, maybe I should keep this with me just in case.'

Soon enough, the hour passed by as Yukiko exclaimed, "Alright, folks, you've been very patient, but it's finally time for this match to begin!" the crowd's excitement rising when she pointed to the left and added, "In the red corner is the Texas Phoenix herself! She has defeated Noivern and Caterpie, and now she's ready to show us more miracles! With fiery passion and incredible strength, Scorchicken!"

The American crowd went wild when suddenly, a Western theme seemed to play in the background. The cheers died down as everyone was too captivated by what they saw next to make any noise. Sure enough, Scorchicken entered the area with her cowgirl outfit on, only this time she had the French flag tied to her right shoulder while the English flag was bound to her left.

"Wow!" Yukiko shouted with her jaw dropped, "I can't believe what I am seeing, folks! Even though Scorchicken probably doesn't even know Crabrawler and Popplio, she has their home countries' respective flags tied to her shoulders to pay tribute to their losses to Bewear! This is very similar to something Blaziken did many years ago!"

"That's right," Metapod replied, "It was during the Next Gen battle. See, both Gallade and Gardevoir fell before the match, and since both grew up in France, Blaziken tied a French flag to each of her arms as tribute. It seems Scorchicken has decided to take a page out of her book."

The stranger in the coat seemed to be rather excited by this as Scorchicken entered the ring, removed the flag and lifted her arms up. Needless to say, this was going to be good, and the spectacle was only more amazing when she released her hold on the flags and allowed them to blow toward the bleachers in the breeze.

Even Eevee was spellbound by this as she uttered, "Aw man, I wish I'd come up with that. But if I do the same thing, I'll be seen as a copycat."

"I'm sure whatever you have planned will be awesome," Cyndaquil replied with a smile before the fox nodded and returned the gesture.

Crabrawler, all the while, gave Scorchicken a round of applause and said, "Wow, to think she'd pay tribute to me even though she doesn't know me," Umbreon patting him on the shoulder.

"And in the blue corner," Yukiko stated, "Representing Japan is a bear who may look cute but has proven himself to be quite deadly. He has defeated both Crabrawler and Popplio despite their best efforts. But will he be able to do the same to the Torch family's heir? Let's find out. Give it up for Bewear, who Scorchicken might just have to beware!"

She then blinked and uttered, "Wow, I just got that," Metapod shrugging his shoulders.

Sure enough, despite this being a rather important match, Bewear did not seem to have the most dignified entrance as he skipped toward the ring with his picnic basket in hand. All the while, Teddy Bear's Picnic played in the background while everyone stared in confusion. Once he was next to the ring, he held up a claw to let everyone know they would need to wait a bit longer and pulled out his pot of honey.

"Wait, that's the guy who covered Popplio in cuts and bruises?" Cyndaquil uttered, Eevee sighing, "His entrances aren't as innocent as they seem, trust me."

And sure enough, many were already intimidated when the bear opened the lid to reveal the repulsive product inside. He then scooped up a large amount and gulped it down, flashing his now dirty black teeth and saying in a menacing tone, "That's gonna be you by the end of this match."

The shrew saw what Eevee meant now while the Japanese crowd broke out into heavy cheers and applause. They found this to be his most creative entrance yet and they just knew things would get better while he put his pot back into the basket and entered the ring. And when he wiped the horrifying liquid off of his face, everyone knew he was ready. Needless to say, Scorchicken would need to be careful.


	60. Chapter 60

The crowd watched in anticipation as it was almost time for the long-awaited match between Scorchicken and Bewear to begin. The bear seemed more confident than usual while the chicken narrowed her eyelids and held up a defensive stance.

"Well, folks, the combatants are-" Yukiko stated but was cut off when Bewear suddenly raced toward Scorchicken with his claws lashed out, curling them inward. He then sent a barrage of punches toward her while shouting, "KERATIN KNUCKLE!"

The crowd stared in shock as Yukiko rang the bell, signalling the start of the match while Cyndaquil spat, "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!?" Eevee uttering, "Okay, he was scary before, but at least he didn't rely on something like that to get an early lead."

At first, it did not seem to work as Scorchicken managed to block each punch with her arms. However, her eyes widened when she noticed light bruises forming, Bewear redirecting one punch right between those very parts. Thus she took in a fierce blow to her chest and backed up, Bewear adding to the pain by punching her in the face.

"And Bewear has already managed to deal an incredible amount of pain to Scorchicken with a barrage of punches," Yukiko stated, "He even went so far as to initiate the fight before the bell."

Caterpie scowled and grunted, "I still can't believe that's legal!" as Lycanroc nodded and replied, "I know. It's a good thing most fighters don't rely on that kind of tactic."

Scorchicken tried her hardest to fight back only for Bewear to dodge each strike. And when she sent a punch toward him, he moved to the right and planted his claws into her arm. He then smirked and lifted her up, slamming her on her back.

While the Japanese fans had been shocked at first, they were now ecstatic to see their representative doing so well. As such, they cheered heavily while he explained, "I'm sorry to resort to such underhanded tactics, but you have to understand. From your matches, I already knew you'd be too much of a threat for fair play to work on. I figured catching you off guard would work, and it has."

Scorchicken gritted her teeth and started to rise to her feet only for the bear to plant his foot into her chest. He then flipped her onto her belly and mounted himself on her back, planting his claws into her chin and ankles while shouting, "KERATIN SUBMISSION!"

The mysterious figure with the raincoat along with the American crowd watched in horror as Scorchicken found herself at Bewear's mercy, and only a minute into the match no less. The chicken placed a firm grip against his paws only for him to drive the claws in deeper, saying, "Not so tough when you don't know what your opponent's gonna do, eh? I knew attacking you before the bell would give me the advantage I needed."

Upon hearing this, a teenaged Japanese boy said, "You know, he kind of has a point. That was quite brilliant," a girl nodding and replying, "Besides, it's not like there haven't been other heroes in history who fought dirty. I looked up Talonflame and Bouffalant, and they were both incredibly brutal in the ring and really awesome because of it."

With that in mind, the Japanese fans went wild as Eevee looked around and groaned, "This is just sickening. Whether or not other heroes do it doesn't make it right."

Lycanroc hardly seemed to care about that, thus she rose up and barked, "Hey, Scorchicken!" the chicken turning her gaze toward her as she continued, "Come on, fight him! Your family's known partly for submission holds! Surely you must know a way out of this!"

Scorchicken's eyes widened while she thought, 'That's right! Besides, as a Torch, it would be disgraceful to lose so easily!'

Bewear laughed and asked, "And what, pray tell, can she possibly do to get out of this?" his eyes widening when the chicken threw her legs outward. This ultimately resulted in the bear's claws cutting her flesh open, but she ignored it and lifted those very parts up, latching them to his ribcage. She applied an extreme amount of pressure until he released his hold on her chin, wincing in pain.

The crowd stared in awe, Yukiko uttering, "And Scorchicken counters with a type of hold I've never seen before," as the chicken threw her head upward, ramming it hard into Bewear's chin.

This was all she needed as he fell off of her on his side. And with him distracted, Scorchicken wrapped her arms and legs around his left arm, pulling hard and shouting, "TORCH FAMILY SPECIAL!"

The American fans went wild as Noivern uttered, "That is amazing. Yukiko's right. I've never seen such a counter before," Lycanroc nodding and saying, "It was unexpected, but I knew there was no way she could fall to that. After all, she took so much punishment from you and still won, right, Pookie?"

She then pinched Caterpie's cheek as he chuckled and said, "Yeah, that's true," before thinking, 'She's got a point. I did better than ever before and she still won. If anyone can beat Bewear, it's her.'

Things started to look better when Scorchicken bit into one of Bewear's exposed claws, pulling backwards to add to the pain, thinking, 'This was how Mom would make up for her lack of arms. If anything, the addition of those will only make this more effective.'

But while many figured this would be the case, Bewear let out a light chuckle and said, "Oh, you just made a big mistake. You would have been better off not doing that."

The chicken's eyes widened when suddenly, Bewear's claw glowed bright purple. With that in mind, Scorchicken opened up her beak, but it was too late to avoid the full blunt of his countermeasure as he shifted his claw upward like a blade, shouting, "KERATIN DAGGER!"

The area went silent when a small chip formed in the middle of Scorchicken's beak. This caused more pain than many would have expected, and thus she let out a loud cry and released her hold on the bear. She then rose to her feet and backed away from him, rubbing the small slit.

"Oh my god!" Eevee squeaked in panic as Cyndaquil uttered, "That looked awful. Does that sort of thing grow back?"

With Scorchicken distracted, Bewear grinned wickedly and rammed his shoulder into her face. He then wrapped his arms around her and leapt into the air, leaning backward and shouting, "KERATIN SUPLEX!"

The back of the chicken's head hit the canvas hard as she coughed up a bit of blood. The American fans watched with concern while Yukiko stated, "Scorchicken made a good comeback, but Bewear gets the advantage back by cutting open the front of her beak. Can she get up after taking in that devastating suplex that defeated Crabrawler and Popplio?"

Bewear had a feeling she could. As such, he kept a firm grip on her and said, "You know, there was a hero from back in the day, a member of the Mach family named Majab. He was the only member of his family capable of pulling off a double suplex. I wonder if I could do it too."

With that in mind, he propelled himself upward. Once he was on the other side of Scorchicken, he lifted her up again and set her up for a second suplex, saying, "Guess I can!"

But just as it looked like the chicken was about to take in the hit, she finally ignored the pain to her beak and threw her arms up. And sure enough, she managed to prevent her collission with the mat by placing her palms up against it. Bewear was now spellbound as she sent her feet downward into his face, causing him to release his hold and fall on his back along with her.

Scorchicken rolled back to her feet, taking many deep breaths while the American crowd cheered. Caterpie breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Man, that was intense. This match hasn't even lasted a long time and yet it really looked like she was gonna lose."

"I hate to put a damper on everyone's mood, but it's still looking pretty bad," Chespin grunted as Litwick uttered, "What do you mean?" the chipmunk pointing at Scorchicken. And sure enough, everyone soon saw what he had referred to.

While Scorchicken had avoided damage and even gotten in a few good moves, it was still clear that she had taken in far more damage up to this point. Her legs were still cut open from when she escaped from Bewear's hold earlier and of course there was her chipped beak. All the while, Bewear still looked perfectly fine despite the few good hits he had succumbed to earlier.

He seemed to realize this as he smirked and snickered. Scorchicken glared and barked, "Hey, what the hell is so funny!?" the bear retorting, "You! You're hilarious! You want to be the first member of the Torch family to ever win the Olympics when in reality, you're super rash! Seriously, cutting yourself to escape from a hold? Biting into my claw when you know I can manipulate its shape?"

"That arrogant little twat!" Crabrawler growled as he clenched his fists, Umbreon patting him on the shoulder, "I swear to god, if Scorchicken doesn't wipe that grin off his face, I'll march right into that ring and do it myself!"

All the while, the stranger narrowed her eyelids and thought, 'Don't let that get to you, Scorchicken. Try to keep a level head.'

Unfortunately, this really got under the chicken's skin as she gritted her teeth and barked, "SHUT UP!" lighting her fists on fire and racing toward Bewear. She then sent an onslaught of rapid punches forward, shouting, "PYRO GATLING!"

The crowd stared in awe as her punches moved at an incredible speed, making the sound of a gatling gun. Bewear's eyes widened when he took in a few hits. However, he quickly rose his arms before succumbing to too many, his claws once again glowing purple as he barked, "KERATIN BEAR-IER!"

"Seriously, when was he able to do that?" Eevee asked in irritation, "Even against Popplio, he kept that bottled up!" as Cyndaquil blinked and uttered, "Oh, so this is the first time you've all seen this."

"I wonder if maybe it has something to do with that weird honey he ate before the match," Litwick stated before the others stared at her. They then looked at the pot that had the rancid-looking liquid inside of it. What if it was true? What if that honey was the key to his power?

To make matters worse, Scorchicken started to slow down as she breathed heavily. Bewear smirked and took full advantage of this, shifting his claws outward. He then moved them back, this time piercing the chicken's wrists when her fists came near him again.

"You know, I'll at least give Crabrawler and Popplio credit," he said as he rammed his forehead into hers, "They were at least a challenge for me. Popplio, especially, gave me a run for my money. So far, you've barely done a thing."

He continued to deliver headbutts to her while one member of the American crowd stood up and grunted, "You take that back!" another adding, "Yeah! Scorchicken's awesome!" the figure in the coat shocked to hear this as all of them stood up and chanted, "SCORCHICKEN! SCORCHICKEN!"

Eevee and the others nodded before doing the same, the Japanese crowd not even sure how to react to this. After all, Bewear was their representative and they wanted to see him win. But on the other hand, his attitude toward his fellow heroes was questionable to say the least.

After taking in a sixth headbutt, Scorchicken gritted her teeth as her beak caught flame. She then threw her head back and sent it forward, shouting, "FIRE PECK!" Bewear unable to react in time to avoid taking a fierce peck to his forehead.

As such, he backed up and released his hold on her. Now, the chicken was finally able to ignore all the pain dealt to her as she raced toward him and rammed her elbow into his gut. She then sent an uppercut into his chin and followed it up with a few good punches. Finally, she raced behind him and took hold of his ears, lifting herself up and lighting her feet on fire.

"BLAZE KICK!" she shouted before ramming them hard into the back of his neck. As such, he coughed up blood for the first time in the match and fell flat on his face while the American fans along with Eevee and the others cheered wildly.

"Things were looking really bad, but now Scorchicken gets the upper hand with her family's infamous Blaze Kick," Yukiko stated, Metapod nodding and adding, "That was the move that cemented most of Blaziken's victories, so Bewear cannot afford to take that lightly, nor can anyone else for that matter."

"Yeah!" Crabrawler shouted, many staring at him, "That'll show him! Now make him wish he never set foot in the ring!"

Umbreon was about to try and calm him down, but she was just as happy as he was to see Scorchicken make such an amazing comeback. And it did not end there as she mounted herself onto his back and lifted his legs up, tucking one under the other and bending them back for a Texas cloverleaf.

"Way to go!" Lycanroc exclaimed with a grin, Caterpie breathing a sigh of relief and applauding her. And of course, the others cheered along with the wolf. Things were finally looking good and there was no way Scorchicken would lose this chance.

However, Bewear did not look quite as worried as he should have. It was made clear why when he lashed out the claws on the one foot still pointed upward and said, "There we go. There's the tough adversary I expected. Unfortunately, it's too little too late."

He then curved the top halves inward and barked, "KERATIN CALTROPS!" the claws glowing yellow and shooting forward into Scorchicken's neck.

Her eyes and beak widened while light drops of blood flew out of the small holes. Luckily, since they were tiny and he did not drive the claws too far into that spot, this was not deadly. But even so, it still hurt even more than it should have as the chicken started to loosen her grip.

This was all Bewear needed, thus he wriggled his legs free. He then lashed out his other set of claws and planted them both into her gut, using them to throw her off of him as her skull hit the canvas hard. The bear then released his hold and allowed her to collapse, rising to his feet and saying, "Your flame powers may be tough, but they've got nothing on my claws."

Scorchicken rose to her feet, once again looking weak. She was really starting to doubt her chances now while the stranger stared at her with concern. A part of her wanted to remove her cloak, but for whatever reason, she did not wish to reveal herself.

Bewear now saw a perfect opportunity to end the match for good as he leapt into the air and spun his tail like a propeller. He then flew high into the air while using the wind to keep Scorchicken on her back. Seeing this, Caterpie gasped, "Come on, Scorchicken, fight it!" the others joining him.

However, this seemed to be exactly what Bewear needed as he pressed his paws up against one-another and lashed out those claws as well. As then flipped himself upside-down and used his tail to speed up his descent, spinning and shouting, "KERATIN DRILL!"

The Japanese fans seemed happy while the figure in the coat gritted her teeth. At that moment, she spat, "Come on, Scorchicken! You can avoid this easily!" the chicken's eyes widening as she turned her head to face the figure. While the raincoat made for a good disguise, she had a feeling she knew exactly who was wearing it. And there was no way she would let this particular being down.

With that in mind, she lit her feet on fire and used all her might to push herself into the air, her flames coming together to form a phoenix head. Bewear's eyes widened as she spat, "PHOENIX VOLCANO!" her feet making contact with his claws.

Light cuts formed on those very spots and a bit of blood flew out. But in the end, Bewear found himself overpowered, thus his arms were forced sideways. He then took a hard blow to his skull as Scorchicken smirked and latched her ankles around his neck. She then threw her legs downward thus lowering him just enough for her to take hold of his. And sure enough, Bewear's head hit the canvas hard while the American fans cheered wildly.

"And in a truly amazing display, Blaziken sets Bewear up for a perfect tombstone piledriver!" Yukiko exclaimed, "And what's more, it doesn't seem to have taken a toll on her like it should have!"

It appeared so as while the chicken was breathing a little bit, it was nowhere near as bad as when she used her Asteroid Suplex on Noivern. However, it seemed Metapod knew why as he said, "It makes sense. That tombstone didn't require her to use as much effort as the slam moves her family's known for. As such, she didn't use nearly as much energy as a member of her family normally would have."

"I have no idea how that works, but I'm not complaining," Chespin uttered with a light smile, Litwick nodding and squealing, "You rule, Scorchicken!"

However, it seemed the match was not yet over. Just as Yukiko was ready to start the ten count, Bewear pushed himself back up. He breathed heavily and growled, "It's not over yet, Scorchicken! You may have some impressive moves, but I'll be the one to beat you! I should know because I doubled my power specifically for this match!"

The area went silent as everyone stared at the bear. What exactly did he mean by that? In what way had he increased his power?

Scorchicken blinked and uttered, "Wait a minute. I think I just figured out why you never used that glowing technique of yours before. It's because you couldn't use it in the other matches, isn't it?"

Silence once again filled the air while everyone stared at Bewear. And things were about to get more awkward when the chicken added, "And I know why. It has something to do with that weird honey of yours, doesn't it?"

The bear gulped nervously before gritting his teeth and growling, "Damn. Guess the cat's out of the bag," everyone gasping as he added, "That's right. That isn't any ordinary honey. It's a dark concoction my grandma made for me. See, members of my tribe have always been weak. We don't even naturally have claws. As such, one of my ancestors came up with a mixture of honey and a substance known as Ganjou to create a mixture that makes us powerful. Every night, I eat one handful to keep my strength up as it's said consuming too much of this can be deadly."

Yukiko blinked and uttered, "Have you heard of this Ganjou before?" as Metapod nodded, Bewear adding, "See, one helping allows me to sprout claws and bend them to make combat easier. However, specifically for this match, I decided to consume two helpings since that allows me to increase the strength of my claws with that glowing technique as you call it."

Scorchicken could not believe what she was hearing while he continued, "I've never quite tried more than that, but I figured that was all I needed to defeat you. But don't worry. I would never use this power for evil. It's only to enhance my strength and make me a good fighter."

Even with that in mind, the Japanese crowd seemed to have lost a lot of respect for him. To think that he essentially needed a drug to fight well. How could they just accept that?

"So all this time, he was a cheater?" Crabrawler uttered, rage building up inside of him as Umbreon frowned, Eevee and the others equally angry.

"Now that you know the truth, I guess it's high time we-" Bewear stated when suddenly, Metapod cut him off and snapped, "STOP THE MATCH!"

Bewear blinked as the chrysalis barked, "Metapod, you have violated a serious rule for any tournament!" the bear retorting, "What rule!? There's nothing in the book about being too strong!"

"You're right," Metapod grunted, "Being overpowered is not against the rules! However, using an illegal substance to gain that level of power is!" the entire area going silent as Eevee squeaked, "Wait, Ganjou is illegal!?"

"How have I never heard of it?" Caterpie uttered before Metapod grunted, "I'll admit, I actually wasn't aware that your people were the ones who invented that mixture of honey and Ganjou. However, consumption of it was outlawed ages ago. It was known to make consumers aggressive and psychotic to the point where they would bring extreme harm to their own friends and family all so they could experience a large burst of strength for a day. It's good that you've been using the drug mostly for good, but it's still illegal! Therefor, I have no choice but to disqualify you from the tournament and confiscate your honeypot!"

Bewear's eyes were wide with horror as the Japanese crowd booed him, a girl pulling off a T-shirt with his face on it. Had she not worn a bra, this would have gotten her arrested for sure, but right now, she did not even care about that as she barked, "I can't believe I wanted you representing us!"

A kid threw a hat with Bewear's face on the ground and stomped on it while many others did the same thing with merchandise of their own. And soon enough, six authorities from Hero Planet raced into the area to take his honey away from him.

Seeing this, the bear growled, "NO!" as he dove toward it and held his paws over his head. He then lashed out his claws once more and spun like a drill, barking, "KERATIN DRILL!" using them to knock one officer on his back. He cradled his jar in one hand and popped off the lid with the other.

Another authority trembled and uttered, "Hey, that's not cool! Please hand over the pot and we won't arrest you, okay!? You'll be free to do as you like! We'll send you to rehab if we have to, but that's it!"

"I'd rather die!" the bear retorted as he threw the lid into the side of the ring, shattering it into pieces. He then dipped his paw into the honey and picked up a large wad, stuffing it into his mouth. He noticed a spike suddenly emerge from the tip of his tail as he grinned and said, "Not bad."

"I mean it!" the authority spat as he and the others raced forward only for Bewear to turn around and leap into the air, jabbing his tail repeatedly into all of them and shouting, "TANUKI SPEAR!"

Scorchicken gritted her teeth and grunted, "Metapod, keep the match going! A Torch fights to the bitter end no matter what, and quite frankly, this guy deserves to be put in his place!"

The American crowd cheered for her while Eevee smiled and said, "I heard Machop and her family used to do this all the time back in the day. Villains would reveal themselves, but rather than taking an automatic victory, they would continue to fight just so no one would be hurt by them."

Cyndaquil beamed bright and squealed, "That's so cool! I should look up more about them!"

Metapod blinked and sighed, "Well, you heard her yourself, folks. One rule in a tournament is that if the opponent is okay with the violation, the match will continue. Let's just hope Scorchicken really can defeat Bewear, because otherwise, we have no choice but to allow this cheater to compete in the finals."

Bewear would have taken offence to the label Metapod had given him, but he was just stoked that he had been allowed to continue. Not only that, his honey was now officially legal in this match all because Scorchicken had more-or-less approved of it. With that in mind, he ate one last handful and said, "If three gives me a spike, just imagine how awesome I'll be after consuming four."

The crowd stared in horror, Caterpie uttering, "I really hope Scorchicken knows what she's doing," as Bewear's fur became messy as opposed to straight. His claws grew longer and the teeth attached to his upper lip became bigger and sharper, therefor he could no longer keep them in his mouth. And to top it off, his tail was twice as long and more snake-like. Needless to say, he was even more terrifying than ever before.


	61. Chapter 61

As if Bewear was not scary enough before, now his power had increased significantly. From four handfuls of honey, he had gained a spike for his now long tail, bigger claws and thicker fur. Scorchicken already had a tough time with him before, but now she would need to step up her game.

Even so, the chicken refused to let this intimidate her as the stranger in the raincoat thought, 'I'm proud of you, Scorchicken. You're right. If you don't put this guy in his place, he may never learn. Now show him the Torch family spirit.'

Bewear grinned and said, "I should thank you for exposing my secret like you did. It gave me an actual reason to bring my power up even higher."

Eevee gritted her teeth and growled, "Goddammit, that guy pisses me off so much! Come on, Scorchicken, put him in his place!" Lycanroc and Caterpie nodding and barking, "You were doing a great job before! Keep it up!"

"Yeah, a couple of power ups are nothing!" Chespin added while Litwick squeaked, "Show him that cheaters never prosper!"

At this exact moment, Popplio had started to move as his ears twitched. He was not awake, but he could hear all that was happening on the TV screen and thus was able to visualize all of it. And of course, a light smile formed on his face. Scorchicken had exposed Bewear for the cheater he was. Now all she had to do was defeat him.

With that in mind, she raced toward him and thought, 'I can't use my Pyro Gatling again. It takes way too much energy to pull off that kind of speed.'

As such, she leapt toward him with her knee out and sent it into his gut. However, she was shocked when the thickness of his fur seemed to soften the blow slightly. As such, he ignored the pain and planted two claws on each paw into her shoulders.

The crowd gasped when he used his free claws to pierce her arms and spread them out, saying, "Oh man, I'm loving this new form already. I wonder what else I can do."

He then leapt into the air and used the claws on his feet to trap her ankles in place. And with that, he tilted his tail right under her and upward in an arch, planting the tip into the area just above her rear end. The crowd watched in horror while he flipped one hundred and eighty degrees, shouting, "KERATIN CRUCIFIXION!"

Scorchicken's skull hit the canvas hard as she coughed up blood, her eyes and beak wide open. The crowd went silent while Bewear removed his claws and allowed her to collapse. He had the most psychotic look on his face now as he had never felt more alive in his life.

"I was hoping to do more, but she's clearly out cold," he said with a shrug, "Go on, Yukiko. Start the countdown," as she gulped and nodded nervously, doing just that.

Crabrawler gritted his teeth and growled, "No! I can't accept this!" Umbreon nodding and rising to her feet, shouting, "Come on, Scorchicken! I know you're better than this!"

Many stared since this had been the first time the black fox had shown her support throughout this whole match. Even Eevee was shocked, but she blinked and added, "Yeah! Unlike him, you don't need some kind of steroid substitute to be badass!"

Bewear shot her a cold glance as everyone else joined in, Cyndaquil squealing, "Yeah! Get up and show him just what you're made of! You've done that multiple times throughout this match!"

"Yeah, you took in all sorts of pain from me and still came out on top!" Caterpie barked as Noivern added, "Same with me! I still feel a bit of the pain you dealt to my wing! That was impressive!"

By this point, Yukiko had stopped the ten count before turning to Metapod and sighing, "This is gonna be really unprofessional," as he shrugged and remarked, "I'm pretty sure no one will object to this."

With that in mind, the woman pumped her fist up and down and chanted, "Scorchicken! Scorchicken!"

A member of the Japanese crowd did the same, and soon enough, many others joined in. And it was not long until Eevee and her friends cheered for the chicken, Umbreon, Crabrawler and even the one in the raincoat adding their chants to the mix. And soon, the entire area was full of cheers and chants for Scorchicken, Metapod being a part of it too.

Bewear looked around at all the people cheering and growled, "You people are morons! You seriously think a bunch of shouting is gonna get her to recover!? Well, if Yukiko won't finish the ten count, I'll make sure she never rises again!"

With that in mind, he lifted his foot and tilted it downward, lashing out his claws as they glowed purple. But just as he was about to send it downward, Scorchicken smirked and swept her leg into the foot still on the mat's surface. As such, Bewear's eyes widened while he flailed his arms around, ultimately losing his balance and falling on his back.

"Your fur may be tougher, but it's not enough," Scorchicken grunted as she once again latched her arms and legs to his arm. Only this time, she remembered not to bite into any of his claws while she yelled, "TORCH FAMILY SPECIAL!"

The cheers only got louder as Chespin barked, "Yeah! Show him the might of hard work and determination!" Litwick beaming at him while her flame grew in size.

Bewear gritted his teeth while she twisted his arm. She was determined to make sure he met the same fate Noivern did when they fought, even if his arm was tougher.

To make things even better, Bewear could not hide his suffering as he thought, 'Dammit! This isn't good enough! I still need more power! But I can't get it without my honeypot!'

With that in mind, he tried his hardest to escape, Scorchicken smirking and saying, "Not so tough when you have no way to escape, are you?" when suddenly, much to everyone's shock, a single claw shot out of each side of Bewear's arm. As a result, Scorchicken's arms were pierced while she cried out in pain and released her hold.

"And it would seem Bewear has one extra change that we didn't know about," Yukiko stated, "And he uses that change to get out of the Torch Family Special," Metapod groaning, "That's just creepy."

"Well, I have to admit, that's a pleasant surprise," Bewear said with a grin, "But it's not good enough! I need more power!" as he took full advantage of Scorchicken's pained state and spun his tail, using the wind to boost himself over to the side of the ring.

"Oh shit!" Eevee squeaked, "Scorchicken, he's going to eat more honey! Stop him!" the chicken nodding and gritting her teeth, rising to her feet. She sprinted toward the bear with both parts on fire and leapt at him, shouting, "ROARING PHOENIX!" the phoenix head forming for the second time.

Unfortunately, Bewear had already managed to consume a fifth helping as spikes jutted out of his back and his body looked more muscular. And while the chicken had dealt some pain with her attack, her feet had also been stabbed as she cried out in pain and fell on her back.

"Now that's more like it!" he exclaimed as he blinked and thought, 'Alright, just one more. Spikes and a nice bod are one thing, but they're not quite good enough. I need to guarantee victory.'

"Oh my god!" Eevee groaned, "I can't watch!" the others feeling the same way. While the chicken still stood a chance before, it truly looked hopeless when Bewear consumed his sixth handful of honey for the day, his paws sprouting fingers and his teeth becoming even sharper.

"OH YEAH!" he shouted with a big open-mouth smile, "THIS IS THE GREATEST! NO ONE CAN STOP ME NOW!" before pointing at Umbreon and Eevee, adding, "I don't care which one of you wins! You can both fight me at once for all I care! I'll still wipe the floor with you!"

Both foxes growled at him, wanting so badly to run into the ring and prove him wrong. Even Umbreon was tempted to share the championship with Eevee if it meant defeating Bewear once and for all.

While Scorchicken had risen back up during his speech, she could no longer hide her fear. It was uncommon for the Torch family to show such a thing, but now she really had no idea whether or not she could possibly win this. Right now, the bear seemed too powerful.

And it only got worse when he turned to her and said, "Oh yeah," sending a hard punch into her face. This caused her to fly backward into the ropes. And when she bounced off, the bear swung his tail at her and shouted, "TANUKI BLADE!" putting a big gash in her midsection with his spike.

Once again, he had applied just enough force to deal extreme pain but held back enough to make sure he did not kill his opponent. After all, he still considered himself a hero and did not wish to be disqualified, especially since now his Ganjou mixture was allowed.

"You should have taken that free victory when you had the chance," he said as he lifted his tail up and aimed it for the same spot he had hit, "Now there's no way you can defeat me. You've pretty much doomed yourself."

"You think so, huh?" Scorchicken grunted as the crowd gasped and stared in stunned silence. Even Eevee and the others could not believe she was still conscious at this point.

Bewear retracted his tail and turned to face her before she added tauntingly, "You think you're really all that powerful right now? I barely felt that."

The stranger in the raincoat smirked and thought, 'Oh, I know where this is going,' while no one else could believe it, the bear retorting, "You lie! There's no way you're not writhing in pain right now!"

"Please, I'm a Torch," she quipped, "We can handle all sorts of pain. My grandma and mother both fought big enemies made of stone and defeated them. A soft, cuddly bear like you couldn't even hope to compare to that, no matter how much of that Ganjou crap you consume."

"Is she doing what I think she is?" Caterpie uttered as Lycanroc nodded and groaned, "Yeah, but isn't that kind of stupid? What if he actually takes her bait?"

"Oh no!" Cyndaquil gasped, but it was too late for anyone to say a thing about this when Bewear roared, "I'LL SHOW YOU! I'LL SHOW YOU ALL! NEVER, EVER FUCK WITH A MEMBER OF THE TANUKUMA FAMILY!"

With that in mind, he used his tail to grab hold of the pot and bring it to him. He then tilted it upside-down and poured all of its contents down his throat. Scorchicken watched this and bit the lower half of her beak, thinking, 'I know this is super risky. But even if this gives him the power to end me in one hit, it's not like I can possibly beat him now. All I can do is hope to god that this has the effect I think it will. And if it doesn't, at least he won't have any honey left for the finals, meaning whoever faces him will be able to beat him with ease.'

Once all the honey was gone, Bewear grinned maniacally and shouted, "OH YEAH! HERE IT COMES! GIVE ME THE POWER OF A GOD!" a dark energy shooting from him as multiple claws and spikes formed all over his body. Soon, he started to expand to five times his size, ten tails sprouting on his rear end and his ears transforming into horns.

"And in a desperate attempt, Scorchicken seems to have sacrificed her victory to convince Bewear to use up his last drop of honey!" Yukiko exclaimed, Bewear blinking and uttering, "Wait, that's what you were doing?"

As if that was not enough, his stomach started to churn as he groaned, "Oh shit, I don't feel so good," Chespin blinking before shouting, "Everyone, duck! I think he's gonna blow!"

But while it was not as bad as he thought, his theory certainly held merit when a burst of dark fog shot from Bewear's mouth. Slowly, his teeth started to fall out as his muscles lowered. But it only got worse for him when, rather than returning to his original size, he became much slimmer to the point where everyone could see a little bit of his ribcage pressing up against his skin. His arms became smaller as well and his claws and spikes fell out. Not only that, but the only remaining tail he had was shrivelled up and looked more like a pink and black prune.

Needless to say, Bewear had not only lost his power up, but he was weaker than ever before. He looked down at all the claws, spikes and teeth scattered about and gazed at his arms, trembling and uttering, "Oh my god. How did this happen?"

He then gritted his teeth and pointed at Scorchicken, barking, "THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT! MY BEAUTIFUL STRENGTH IS NOW GONE BECAUSE OF YOU!"

Everyone glared at him as Lycanroc grunted, "He has some nerve trying to make her look like the bad guy in this situation!" the others nodding.

It seemed Scorchicken thought the same and sighed, "Don't blame me for your own incompetence. You're the one who so rashly ate all that honey knowing there were dangers associated with it. You should have known better than to let mere words get to you like that."

The bear gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, charging toward her while flailing his arms around like wheels, barking, "SHUT UP! I CAN STILL KICK YOUR-"

However, he was cut off when the chicken took hold of his arms and twisted them. This caused him extreme pain as he cried out in pain and backed up. He then received a couple of punches to the face and coughed up blood. It was at this moment that Scorchicken knew he had nothing left.

"Come on, finish him off!" Crabrawler snapped, "That guy doesn't deserve to leave this ring conscious!" Umbreon adding, "Yes. Show him that cheaters never prosper."

The chicken turned toward the stranger in the raincoat who nodded in approval. As such, she smiled before once again racing behind the bear. She then took hold of his ears and lifted herself up, lighting her feet on fire and barking, "BLAZE KICK!"

She sent both feet hard into the back of Bewear's neck as he coughed up more blood. His eyes rolled to the back of his head and he fell forward, his face hitting the canvas hard. Yukiko did not even need a ten count to know he would not get up anytime soon.

With that in mind, the woman raised her gavel and hit the bell hard, shouting, "And after the longest and most intense match so far, Scorchicken is our winner and will move onto the finals!" the crowd cheering heavily while Crabrawler sighed, "Thank god!"

"Yeah, way to go!" Caterpie shouted, Lycanroc nodding and thinking, 'That was very risky on her part, but it really was the only option. Thank god that turned out as well as it did.'

Popplio had a big smile when he heard the announcement, light tears rolling down his cheeks. He could not have been happier. Bewear was the last contestant he wanted to see in the finals.

Scorchicken glared down at Bewear and sighed, "I hope that maybe someday, you realize where you went wrong. If I hadn't stopped you, it was only a matter of time until you really did use that power for evil."

She then took a deep breath and threw her arms in the air with a big smile on her face. She may not have won the Olympics yet, but she had just defeated a very dangerous opponent. That alone was worth celebrating.

The authorities had recovered quite some time ago, and with Bewear out cold and weak, they saw this as a perfect opportunity to latch handcuffs onto him and drag him out of the area. Since his crime did not involve him killing anyone, his sentence would not be a particularly long one, but he would still be put away for a while.

"And that concludes the first match of the semi-finals," Metapod stated, "If anyone needs to get up for any reason, now's your chance, but once the hour is up, we will have a highly anticipated match between two sisters. So don't go too far."

Scorchicken took a deep breath and made her way toward an exit. After all the hits and various cuts she had sustained, she needed a good, long rest. She could not have been more grateful to have Eevee or Umbreon as a final opponent as she knew neither of them would cheat or go insane.

Along the way, she noticed Lycanroc give her a thumb up while Caterpie waved to her. She nodded at both of them as Eevee blinked and uttered, "When did you guys become friends with her?" Caterpie shrugging and replying, "You should try talking to her sometime. She's not only a badass in the ring. She's also a very good person."

While Scorchicken walked down a hallway to find a place where she could rest, she heard footsteps behind her and grinned, saying, "Thanks for coming, Grandma."

The stranger in the raincoat let out a sigh and said, "I had a feeling you'd catch on," as she removed her hood to reveal an elderly chicken with a similar look to hers. The major difference was that her beige feathers resembled long hair as opposed to four wings. As Scorchicken said, this other chicken was her grandmother, namely Blaziken.

"That was really impressive," she said with a big smile, "Even if you lose the finals, I'm just glad you dealt with that demon. I couldn't be more proud of you right now."

The younger chicken smiled and gave Blaziken a hug only to wince and utter, "That was not a good idea," the older chicken laughing and saying, "Come on, I'll bandage you up and then treat you to a nice lunch."

With all said and done, Umbreon rose up from her seat and gazed at Eevee. The brown fox took a deep breath and did the same, both heading off to prepare. Upon seeing this, Chespin smiled and said, "Show her what you're made of."

"Yeah, let her know just how good you've become," Caterpie added while Lycanroc stated, "I know you can do it. She's tough, but so are you."

"Damn straight!" Cyndaquil squealed, "You're gonna kick so much ass!" as Eevee nodded and said, "Thanks for all your help getting me ready for this, guys. Though if it's not too much trouble, could I ask that none of you give me advice during this one?"

The others gave her an odd look before she sighed, "It's just, well, if I'm good enough to defeat Umbreon, I wanna do it on my own. I hope you understand," the others nodding. Even Cyndaquil did not see a problem with this.

And when Eevee headed off, she took a deep breath. Deep down, she still felt nervous, but she knew that after all she had done, there was no way Umbreon would look down on her after this match.


	62. Chapter 62

This was it. In less than an hour, Eevee and Umbreon would finally have the match they had wanted since the Hero Olympics started. Both were hard at work preparing themselves for this moment while their parents were tuned in. And as they told Eevee, they would be happy no matter which of their daughters won.

Eevee sent a series of punches and kicks into a punching bag while looking back to the day Flareon received a call from Hero Planet's government. It was an invite for both of her daughters to attend Hero School so that they may one day follow in her footsteps and fight evil. And of course, she happily called them over to share the news.

"Oh my god, this is awesome!" Eevee squealed with a big grin, "I'm finally gonna kick butt and beat up bad guys just like you!" Flareon chuckling, "I have no doubt you will."

Umbreon folded her arms and rolled her eyes, groaning, "Mom, stop it! You and I both know that Eevee is unfit for Hero School!"

The brown fox folded her arms and stuck out her tongue before retorting, "Well, I'm gonna attend whether you like it or not!" before marching to her room, Flareon shaking her head and sighing, "Umbreon, that was uncalled for."

"But you know I'm right!" the black fox remarked, "Come on, you've seen what she's like! She has no idea how to fight! She rushes into danger without thinking! She's the only member of our family without power! Everyone else had an element, and yet she's just normal!"

Eevee overheard this and growled with her arms folded. Though back in present time, she took a deep breath and thought, 'In hindsight, I have to admit she had a point. But she didn't realize that I could learn and get better. I want her to see that more than anything.'

Meanwhile, Umbreon herself was doing the same thing while using her powers of darkness to deal more damage, looking back to her time in Hero School. Whenever she and Crabrawler trained, she would always check on Eevee to see if she was improving in some way or another. Unfortunately, the brown fox was just as bad as she had always been. While she excelled in speed training, she was terrible at everything else.

When it came to weight lifting, she would always go for the heaviest weights first only to show no results. She would go down bit by bit, but even by the time she got to the lightest weights, she could barely budge them. Meanwhile, this was easy for Umbreon thanks to her dark powers. As such, she would always shake her head at the brown fox while Crabrawler had a look of pity.

When it came to more advanced exercises like hitting flaming punching bags, climbing mountains with weights bound to the heroes and climbing across a rope suspended over thorn bushes, Eevee was even worse. She never thought strategically and as a result, she always wound up getting hurt.

Back in present time, she sighed and thought, 'Well, I'll give you some credit, Eevee. You always were determined to do your best. I just really hope you can bring out your A-game today.'

The hour passed by quickly as everyone was seated and ready for the event. However, this was the first time no one in the audience was separated. After all, both competitors represented the same country and most of the Thai crowd did not have a favourite.

Cyndaquil grinned and squealed, "It's almost time! I just know Eevee's gonna kick so much ass!" the others nodding before Chespin replied, "After all the training she's done, she'd better."

All the while, Wishiwashi watched this and said, "Eevee, if you don't win, I'll eat my last sand dollar."

And of course, both Torracat and Decidueye were watching from among the crowd. The owl especially wanted to see just how well the brown fox would do, especially after the way she dealt with all of his best tactics.

But most of all, Popplio was finally awake as his eyes were open. Though right now, he could only move his head to look at the screen with anticipation. He just knew Eevee would be great.

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls!" Metapod exclaimed as everyone gave him their full attention, "There's no doubt that last match was really exciting, but I'm sure this one will be amazing as well because we have a bout between two sisters from Thailand! Both have proven themselves to be incredible so far, but let's see which of them truly deserves to move onto the finals."

Yukiko nodded and stated, "In the red corner is the last hero of Tokyo still competing. She has defeated the dirty Drampa and had him put behind bars and she beat the fast and strong Decidueye despite his best efforts. She has also saved Tokyo from many villains, and now she comes to face her own flesh and blood. Everyone, give it up for Eevee!"

The area erupted with cheers as an epic musical score played in the background. Eevee stepped into the area with no costumes or anything. There was only a serious look on her face while she marched toward the ring, thinking, 'Machop and Machoke always treated their biggest matches more seriously. I'm gonna do the same.'

"Wow, folks, Eevee's not giving us her usual entrance this time," Yukiko said, "Normally, she tries to go for something one would expect from the Mach family, but today, she's showing us a more serious side. It could be because of her opponent, but whatever the case, it works."

She then entered the ring and held her arms in the air, Lycanroc shouting, "Yeah! You go, girl!" Caterpie adding, "Sock it to her!"

"I know you'll be awesome!" Chespin added while Noivern and Litwick added their own cheers to the mix. But of course, the most supportive was Cyndaquil who had bought a pair of pom-poms for the occasion.

The brown fox took a deep breath as Yukiko stated, "And in the blue corner is a mighty fox with the power of darkness. Despite the stakes constantly going against her, she dominated one of Tokyo's heroes, Lycanroc, and even managed to overpower the ghostly sword, Honedge. With skill and spirit that matches Eevee's, Umbreon!"

There were plenty of cheers from the crowd as much like Eevee, Umbreon did not have any gimmicks or routines for her entrance. She, too, preferred to take a more simple approach, thus she marched toward the ring with her arms folded, a more sombre melody playing in the background. And when she entered the ring, she gazed at her sister with her eyes narrowed.

"So, here we are," she said, "Honestly, I still can't believe you made it this far. I thought at most, you wouldn't even make it past the sporting events."

"Yeah, well you were wrong!" Eevee retorted, "By the time this match is over, we'll see who the real star of this family is!"

"Yes, me," Umbreon remarked as the brown fox gritted her teeth and marched angrily to the far end of the ring. And when the black fox did the same, Yukiko nodded and stated, "Well, folks, the combatants are set. So without further ado, let us begin."

She rang the bell as both siblings held their ground. Eevee narrowed her eyelids and thought, 'The old me was rash and reckless. Now I know better than to rush toward my opponent.'

She remembered the first time she ever got in a fight. It was in grade five when a bully was picking on Cyndaquil. She tried to be a hero and rush in to save her, but despite the boy being a human, he easily managed to knock her out with a punch to her face. And in the end, Umbreon had to save her by using cunning and skill to catch him off guard and take him out with a sweep kick.

Umbreon remembered that as well, looking back to how after the fight, she was just glad to see her sister okay. However, the more and more times she wound up saving her life, the more irritated she got. And one day, she confronted the brown fox and barked, "For god's sake, stop trying to be a hero! You suck at it!"

Seeing her sister holding her ground, she thought, 'Seems like you at least got over one weakness,' as she raced toward her, her mind adding, 'But let's see if you can find a way to counter this.'

"And Umbreon makes the first move!" Yukiko exclaimed while Umbreon aimed a high kick toward Eevee's face. But just as it was about to connect, the brown fox held out her paws and took hold of her thigh, asking, "Did you seriously think that would work?"

However, Umbreon had other plans as she retorted, "No," and sent her elbow downward into the brown fox's skull. As such, Eevee released her hold on the leg thus allowing it to make contact with her face as she fell on her back.

The crowd clapped for Umbreon while Cyndaquil growled, "That was unfair!" Caterpie sighing, "No, that was just a really good strategy."

While Umbreon walked toward Eevee with the intent of adding to the pain, the brown fox grimaced and swung her leg toward her ankles. However, the black fox saw this coming and leapt into the air, a dark energy surrounding her legs as she sent her feet hard into the brown fox's face.

More cheers came her way while she flipped Eevee onto her belly and lay on her back. She then wrapped her arms around neck and pulled up on her chin, asking, "What are you gonna do, sis? So far, I'm very underwhelmed."

Eevee gritted her teeth before gasping and thinking, 'Wait! My legs aren't trapped in place!' With that in mind, she wrapped those very parts around Umbreon's and used all her might to push her forward. As such, the black fox's grip on her chin loosened thus leaving her vulnerable while Eevee swung her legs back, planting her back into the canvas.

The crowd went wild while Yukiko exclaimed, "And Eevee escapes from Umbreon's hold with a very creative counter! Let's see what else she has in store!"

"I'm not the pathetic weakling who had to be saved all the time, sis!" she exclaimed with a smirk, "Today, you're seeing the new and improved Eevee!" before leaping toward Umbreon just as she had risen and planting her feet into her chest.

Unfortunately, Umbreon ignored the pain and took hold of Eevee's ankles, saying, "I'll admit, that counter was unexpected. But I can guarantee that'll be the last time you hit me," before swinging her around and sending her flying head-first into the turnbuckle.

Caterpie pulled on the sides of his face and groaned, "Are you serious!? She's barely done a thing so far!" as Lycanroc patted him on the back and replied, "Hey, it's okay. Don't forget, that's how Eevee's fights usually play out."

"It's true," Chespin added with his arms folded, "She always starts off badly, but when push comes to shove, she becomes practically unbeatable. Things will turn in her favour soon. I just know it."

"Take it from someone who faced her before," Noivern replied, "I can vouch for that," Litwick nodding with a big smile, Cyndaquil uttering, "Wow, that's so cool."

Crabrawler, all the while, smiled and exclaimed, "Good show, Umbreon! Keep it up!" all the while thinking, 'Though I do hope this doesn't last. I haven't seen Eevee in action yet, but now even I'm starting to wonder if she deserves to have made it this far.'

Eevee shook the pain off of her head and took a deep breath. She then rose to her feet and grunted, "Alright, you're as tough as I remember. But that's not enough to end this," the fox planting her feet against the pole and reeling her legs back. She then launched herself forward and thought, 'Alright, time for a signature move,' as she shifted her ears forward and threw them back.

As a result, her speed increased and she rammed her forehead into a spellbound Umbreon's, causing her to lean backward. She then wrapped her arms around her and exclaimed, "FLYING FOX PROPELLER CRASH!"

The crowd cheered heavily as Umbreon's skull hit the opposite turnbuckle hard. However, Eevee was shocked when she noticed a dark aura surrounding her head, thus she smirked and said, "Unfortunately for you, I've already seen this in action once."

Eevee tensed up when Umbreon used all her might to force her arms off of her. She then encased her own arms in a dark aura and sent her palms into Eevee's face, causing her to tumble along the canvas away from her.

"It would seem Umbreon has softened the blow from Eevee's newest finishing move," Yukiko stated, "As such, she still seems to have the advantage while Eevee has barely done a thing so far."

'Dammit, I forgot her dark powers work on her whole body,' the brown fox thought as she rose back to her feet, Cyndaquil uttering, "So this is only temporary, right?"

Umbreon frowned and sighed, "I'll admit, waiting for me to attack first was better than what I'd expect from you. But you need to think about your opponents' strengths and learn how to work around them if you want any hope of succeeding!"

With that in mind, she raced toward Eevee with her aura surrounding her legs. However, there was no way the brown fox would let this go, and thus when Umbreon was close enough, she leapt into the air and evaded an incoming kick. The black fox's eyes widened as she soon received a hard two-legged kick to the forehead.

The crowd cheered while Eevee proceeded to send a barrage of rapid kicks into the exact same spot. And once again, Umbreon formed her dark aura around her head and lifted up her arms. Luckily, though, Eevee saw this coming and propelled herself backwards, now keeping her distance as the cheers got louder.

"And now Eevee seems to be taking Umbreon's advice as she delivers an onslaught of kicks," Yukiko stated, "Not only that, but she also manages to avoid a countermeasure. It seems like she might finally get the advantage."

'Not bad,' Crabrawler thought before Cyndaquil squealed, "You were right! It started off bad, but now things are improving!"

Caterpie nodded and sighed, "Yeah, when watching Eevee fight, you gotta get used to a lot of close calls. I learned that from her fight with Lugarugan. She was so close to losing that one, it was insane."

Umbreon rubbed her forehead and said, "Not bad, but nothing special," once again racing toward Eevee. However, now the fox's confidence had risen as she thought, 'If you think that's all I got, you have another thing coming.'

With that in mind, she dodged to the right and sent a roundhouse into Umbreon's side. She then retracted her foot just in time to avoid having the black fox latch onto it. And after that, she raced behind her and wrapped her arms around her, lifting her up and planting the back of her head into the canvas.

The crowd cheered wildly while Metapod exclaimed, "And Eevee continues to whale on her sister with a roundhouse and a suplex! She's on fire now!"

But just as the brown fox was ready for more, she noticed the black fox was barely able to move. Her body was twitching all over while Chespin uttered, "Wait, has she already weakened her that much?"

Eevee frowned and backed away from Umbreon as many stared in confusion. Cyndaquil blinked and asked, "Why isn't she taking advantage of this?" Lycanroc sighing, "It's because she knows something we don't. Don't forget, no one knows Umbreon's skills better than she does."

And it seemed the brown fox had made the right call as Umbreon pushed herself upright, all the pain dealt earlier seeming to mean nothing. She then blinked and asked, "How did you know?"

"Please," Eevee retorted, "I've seen enough of your matches to know when you're pretending to be badly hurt," the crowd gasping as Metapod asked, "She was faking that?"

"Actually, that makes perfect sense," Yukiko explained, "When she fought Golisopod, she did the same thing to catch him off guard. And she later did it again when she fought Honedge. I guess this is a common thing for her."

Crabrawler nodded and thought, 'Yeah, it's weird for someone as strong as her to pull it off, but it is amazing how many times it's worked over the past. Leave it to her own flesh and blood to be the first not to fall victim to it.'

Even Eevee's friends were astounded as Umbreon folded her arms and said, "I'll admit, that was pretty smart," the brown fox smirking and remarking, "Yeah, and you're about to see much more from me. This is only the beginning."

Needless to say, the crowd was even more excited to see where this was going. And all the while, Flareon and Chanchai smiled. They were glad to see their daughters both giving it their all, but most of all, they were happy to see Umbreon start to acknowledge her sister's skills.

Even so, this was far from over as Umbreon frowned and grunted, "Don't get a swell head. A few impressive moves will not win you this match!"

With that, she raced toward Eevee once more. The brown fox was on the defensive, but just as she was ready to counter another attack, her eyes widened when Umbreon leapt over her and landed behind her. She then lifted Eevee up by her shoulders and hurled her high into the air.

"That move you used earlier was good, but you can't protect yourself against this one," she grunted. Once she reached Eevee's level, she latched onto her neck with a dark aura covering her legs. She then leaned backward and grabbed the brown fox's ankles, flipping one hundred and eighty degrees.

"FULL MOON CRASH!" she exclaimed as Eevee's skull hit the canvas hard. Her eyes widened and she coughed up blood for the first time in the entire match, Umbreon releasing her hold and allowing her to collapse.

The area went silent until Cyndaquil squeaked, "Come on, Eevee! Get up!" the others joining in. There was no way it could possibly be over, and yet it seemed so when Yukiko started the ten count.

But was this really it? After all of Eevee's training, was the match already over? While she had faced many powerful adversaries over the past, in her mind, none of them held a candle to her sister. Perhaps this really was all it took.


	63. Chapter 63

While Eevee had pulled off a few good moves against Umbreon, it seemed as if the match might have already come to a close after she took in the Full Moon Crash. She lay on the mat with her eyes closed while Yukiko started the ten count, Umbreon looking down at her. Though rather than her usual cold look, she seemed confused, but why? Was this not the result she had expected?

Even Crabrawler seemed disappointed to say the least. He knew he should have been happy to see his partner win so quickly, and yet this did not add up to him. If anything, he wanted to see Eevee pose as more of a challenge.

But of course, her friends were the most devastated as Caterpie uttered, "She's gonna get up, right? She always does," Cyndaquil nodding and squealing, "Come on, Eevee! I know this can't possibly be enough to finish you off!"

Yukiko reached five seconds as Umbreon knelt down. And suddenly, Eevee's eyes shot open, a smirk on her face. She then pushed herself up and planted both of her feet into her sister's chin, her eyes and mouth wide with shock while she backed up.

The crowd cheered heavily as Eevee took a deep breath and said, "Damn, it's a good thing it didn't take longer for that to work!" Umbreon staring in shock and uttering, "Did you just fake me out?"

Upon hearing this, the cheers only grew, Lycanroc uttering, "That's what happened? I don't think I've ever seen her do that before," Chespin nodding and replying, "Yeah, that's a good point. I didn't think that was her style."

"Maybe that's why she did it," Litwick suggested, the others staring at her, "If what Yukiko said is to be believed, faking out opponents seems to be something Umbreon's more accustomed to. Because of that, Eevee was able to figure out when she tried it. But since Eevee's never done it before, there was no way for Umbreon to see it."

It seemed that the black fox had realized this herself as she rubbed her chin and said, "I have to admit, I'm actually impressed. Not only did you get up from one of my most powerful moves, but you actually turned my tactics against me. But I dare you to do more than that."

She raced toward Eevee only for her to go down on all fours and leap forward, ramming her skull into her gut. And with Umbreon distracted, the brown fox took hold of her ankles and pulled them upward, causing her to fall on her back. The crowd went wild while the brown fox leapt backward toward the ropes and planted her feet against them, squealing, "SPINNING FOX TACKLE!"

Umbreon rose up just in time for Eevee to spin vertically, a strong wind surrounding her. And soon enough, the black fox took both of her paws to her face as she found herself pushed backward into the ropes. As such, her back took in quite a bit of pain while Eevee distanced herself from her and smirked, saying, "You weren't able to protect yourself from that one, were you?"

The crowd broke out into heavy cheers and applause while Yukiko exclaimed, "Not only does Eevee make a shocking recovery, but she manages to catch her sister off guard and strike her with one of her strongest techniques! It seems that she might just have what it takes to win this match after all!"

Crabrawler stared in shock while Umbreon frowned and pushed herself away from the ropes. She then took a deep breath and said, "Once again, you've managed to impress me. I easily could have blocked that under any other circumstances, but you distracted me long enough to prevent that from happening. Maybe this match will be interesting after all."

While this was not as negative as what Umbreon normally said to Eevee, it still struck her as condescending. However, she could not let that get to her. She was finally starting to show some promise and she intended to keep at it. She just knew that with enough effort, Umbreon would finally admit that she was good enough to be a hero.

Popplio continued to watch from the hospital with a light smile on his face, thinking, 'You're doing well, mon ami. Keep it up and you might actually move onto the finals.'

This time, the brown fox was on the offensive as she raced toward Umbreon. The black fox frowned and covered her leg in a dark aura. But when she was ready to counter with a strong kick, Eevee leapt to the right and aimed another roundhouse toward her side.

This time, Umbreon was prepared and thus covered her entire torso in the same aura. As such, Eevee's kick dealt less damage, allowing Umbreon to ignore the pain and grab onto her ankle.

"You're not the only one who can learn from other fighters," the black fox grunted as she pulled upward thus causing Eevee to trip and fall on her back. She then lifted her up by her arms and turned her around, wrapping her arms around her while the crowd stared in wonder.

"And despite Eevee's great comeback, Umbreon still has plenty of fight in her as she sets her up for a suplex," Yukiko said while the black fox lifted Eevee up and leaned backward, planting the back of her head into the canvas. She then propelled her body over the brown fox and landed behind her. And finally, she lifted her up one more time to connect another suplex, just like what Bewear had tried on Scorchicken.

The crowd cheered for her while Cyndaquil squeaked, "Oh no! Come on, Eevee! You can get out of that too, right!?"

Unfortunately, it seemed as if things were about to get worse when Umbreon shifted her hands up to Eevee's ankles. She then lifted her up and leaned backward, planting the back of her head into the canvas one last time before finally letting go. Needless to say, the crowd could not believe what they had just seen.

"It seems Umbreon had a lot planned to make up for the beating she took in earlier," Yukiko stated, "Not only does she counter Eevee's roundhouse with her dark powers, but she retaliates with a double suplex and what I can only describe as an enhanced suplex. Can Eevee recover from this like she did the Full Moon Crash?"

After a few seconds, it seemed so as Eevee gritted her teeth and pushed herself back up to her feet. She then took many deep breaths while Umbreon folded her arms and said, "You didn't try to fake me out this time. Why?"

"Like that's gonna work a second time!" the brown fox retorted as Umbreon nodded her head in understanding, Crabrawler uttering, "Wow, I've never seen Umbreon rely on a tactic like that before. I guess both of them have to rely on different strategies in this match."

Needless to say, Eevee would need to step up her game. She had done a good job so far, but if she was to defeat Umbreon, she would need to do much better than that. And it seemed as if she would need to act fast when the black fox raced toward her.

However, Eevee's eyes widened when she thought, 'Wait, there is something that might work!' Thus she raced forward and dove toward Umbreon, spreading her arms out and hooking her ankles with her arms, her mind adding, 'This works well for Popplio since he's made of blubber. But since I'm all furry, I figured I would need a running start.'

It seemed to work as she moved just quickly enough to trip Umbreon and knock her on her belly. Seeing an opportunity, she grinned and propelled herself into the air, flipping herself backward and planting her own belly into the black fox's back.

The crowd stared in shock, Popplio's eyes sparkling as he could not believe his eyes. In another move that Eevee would normally never use, she had just used her own versions of two of his signature moves. Needless to say, this really had gotten interesting.

However, the brown fox knew this would not be enough as she wrapped her arms around Umbreon's neck and pulled up, the crowd going wild while Noivern said, "There's the unpredictable fuzzball who put me in my place. She just continues to amaze me every time."

Unfortunately, it seemed as if Eevee had put herself in another tight spot when Umbreon smirked and covered her arms in a dark aura. She then placed a firm grip against her arms and pried them off, saying, "If there's one thing that hasn't changed, it's that you're still not strong enough to pull off a successful submission hold."

"Oh shit," Eevee groaned as the black fox hurled her into the turnbuckle. She then performed a handstand and somersaulted toward Eevee, planting both feet into her gut, causing her to cough up a bit of blood.

"It looked like Eevee had the upper hand, but Umbreon takes advantage of her hold and snatches it right back," Yukiko stated as Caterpie groaned, "That was just painful."

Things were about to get much worse when Umbreon lifted Eevee up by the ears and threw her toward the ropes. And when she bounced off of them, the black fox leapt toward her and planted a roundhouse into her gut, knocking her on her back.

"Now to show you a real submission hold," Umbreon said as she flipped her sister over and mounted herself onto her back. She then took hold of her chin and pulled upward, Metapod exclaiming, "And as if those kicks weren't enough, now she has Eevee in a camel clutch!"

"Eevee!" Cyndaquil squeaked while the others really hoped she could get out of this. It was like Umbreon said. Eevee may have had a surprising track record, but she was not quite strong enough to pull off a submission hold, let alone pry herself out of one like the black fox had just done.

Popplio frowned when he saw this since he knew Eevee could get out of this. Surely, she knew a way to do so without needing to rely on physical strength. After all, she had a knack for finding solutions that the others could not.

After a few seconds, her eyes widened when she thought, 'Okay, this is definitely a long shot. But I don't see many other options right now.'

As such, she lifted up her tail and bound it to Umbreon's. Her eyes widened when Eevee pulled backwards, the black fox gritting her teeth and tightening her grip, growling, "What the hell are you doing!? Are you trying to add to the pain!?"

The crowd thought the same thing when suddenly, it seemed to work as Eevee applied just enough strength to force Umbreon back. As a result, she released her hold on her chin and flew off of her, landing hard against the canvas while the area went silent. Just like Umbreon said, that was a very rash move that could have easily resulted in Eevee's spine shattering, and yet somehow it still worked.

With that in mind, the audience smiled and filled the area with applause. Chespin, all the while, stared with his jaw dropped and uttered, "How in the hell did she do that?"

"She really is incredible," Litwick uttered as Lycanroc and Caterpie both cheered, Cyndaquil smiling lightly and thinking, 'Great job, Eevee. You got this in the bag.'

Flareon stared in stunned silence and uttered, "Did you know her tail was that powerful?" Chanchai shrugging his shoulders and shaking his head.

Of course, Eevee would not let this opportunity go as she leapt behind Umbreon and lifted her up. She then wrapped her arms around her and smirked, saying, "You've seen most of my finishing moves now, but there's still one I haven't used in this tournament yet."

The crowd's excitement grew when she leapt high into the air and flipped herself and Umbreon upside-down. She then wrapped her legs and tail around her and spun like a tornado, the black fox's eyes wide with shock as she squealed, "BINDING FOX TWISTER!"

And soon enough, Umbreon's skull hit the canvas hard while the crowd cheered even louder, Yukiko exclaiming, "And Eevee lands another finishing move with Umbreon unable to respond in time! Let's see if this will be enough to end the match for good!"

Eevee released her hold and leapt away from Umbreon, allowing her to collapse as Crabrawler stared in shock. Now he could see where Eevee's reputation came from. Not only did she have some really impressive moves, but she was able to get out of really tight spots when it counted most.

Yukiko started the ten count as Lycanroc grinned and said, "I'll be surprised if that actually finishes Umbreon off, but that was still really awesome," Chespin adding, "Especially since we haven't seen that move in a while."

Eevee had the same feeling Lycanroc did while she held up a defensive stance. She had seen Umbreon recover from worse before, so it would not have surprised her in the slightest if she managed to get up from this. Though deep down, a part of her really hoped this would be the end.

When Yukiko reached four seconds, sure enough, Umbreon's eyes opened wide as she propelled herself back to her feet. She took many deep breaths and rubbed her head, uttering, "So you even have a powerful slam move in your arsenal. I didn't think you of all people could pull that off."

Crabrawler was equally impressed as a part of him wanted to cheer for Eevee right now. Though Umbreon was his partner, so he decided not to. Even so, he was happy to see the brown fox perform so much better than he or Umbreon would have expected.

Even so, Umbreon was not ready to give in just yet as she smirked and said, "Well, then, guess I'll really have to go all out now. I didn't think I'd need to use my best moves on you, but it seems like I have no choice."

Eevee could detect some slight insincerity in her tone, but even so, there was no way she would lower her guard, not when she had performed so well. As such, she was once again on the defensive as Umbreon sped toward her with her arms and legs covered in her dark aura. But when she got close, she leapt behind Eevee and sent a back kick into her. She then jumped toward her and delivered another kick, sending the brown fox flying toward the turnbuckle.

The crowd watched in awe, Caterpie barking, "Come on, Eevee! Counter it!" the fox nodding and holding her paws out with the intention of stopping her collision with the pole.

But just as this was about to work, Umbreon leapt at her and wrapped her legs around her waist, saying, "Can't let you do that, Eevee," before forcing her arms up against her sides and wrapping her own around her. She then spun while the aura surrounded both of them, forming into a twister.

'What!?' Eevee thought with her eyes wide open, 'I've never seen this move before!' her skull making contact with the turnbuckle as Umbreon shouted, "DARK CYCLONE!"

The crowd cheered wildly, Crabrawler shouting, "Wow! That was incredible, Umbreon!" as she grinned at him and thought, 'You just couldn't resist cheering me on for the whole match, could you?'

It seemed as if she had more planned when she took hold of Eevee's shoulders and launched her high above the ring. With the brown fox too shaken up by the blow to her head, she was unable to respond when Umbreon leapt up to her level and planted all four of her paws into her shoulders and ankles.

Everyone knew exactly what was coming now as her dark aura formed once more, the black fox aiming Eevee's head toward the canvas and shouting, "SOARING RAVEN!"

Soon enough, the brown fox made contact with the mat as a cloud of smoke surrounded the sisters. The crowd cheered wildly while Metapod exclaimed, "And after taking in two of Eevee's finishing moves prior, Umbreon unleashes two of her own back to back! Let's see if Eevee can recover from this! For all we know, this could be her third loss!"

"Third loss?" Yukiko uttered, the chrysalis replying, "Yeah. On Hero Planet, she faced Snowshrew and lost," the crowd truly surprised to hear this.

Once the smoke cleared, sure enough, Umbreon was standing tall while Eevee was on her back with her eyes closed. Her head was tilted sideways and her arms and legs were spread out awkwardly, Yukiko nodding and starting the ten count.

While news of Eevee having another loss on her record surprised Cyndaquil, she knew how much she had improved since then. As such, she got up and squeaked, "COME ON, EEVEE! YOU'VE GOTTEN UP FROM WORSE THAN THAT! YOU CAN STILL WIN!"

"Damn straight!" Decidueye barked, many staring at him in shock, "Come on! You took a bunch of arrows from me and still won! I refused to believe that this is enough to take you down!"

"Take it from me!" Torracat added, "The way you constantly gave him a run for his money is no small feat!" Eevee's body starting to twitch.

Popplio smiled and thought, 'They're right. You may have needed my guidance, but you're even more incroyable than I am.'

By this point, Yukiko stopped counting at eight seconds, Umbreon not even pointing this out. And it was not long until everyone in the arena cheered for the brown fox. They wanted to see her rise up and surprise them more. After all of her accomplishments, the Japanese crowd was especially supportive.

At that moment, Yukiko gasped, "Oh, right!" before shouting, "Nine!" only for Eevee's eyes to open before she sprang back to her feet. The crowd cheered wildly as she breathed heavily and held onto her knees.

"She's up!" Lycanroc exclaimed before Caterpie sighed, "Oh god, that was close. I really thought she'd lost there," Cyndaquil nodding with a light smile.

"Well, we are talking about someone who was poisoned and still kept fighting to the bitter end," Chespin stated with a grin, "I still wish I could have seen that match, but after that, it'll take a whole lot more to take her down for good."

Even Umbreon was surprised. She stared at her sister and uttered, "I can't believe it. You're still standing," the brown fox smirking and remarking, "That's right. If you knew what kind of opponents I've fought over the past, you'd know that it'll take more than a few good hits to defeat me."

But while she had recovered, she knew that she could not handle much more. She would really need to step up her game. After all, if Yukiko had not delayed the ten count for a few seconds, she would have already been declared the loser. She had been given a second chance and there was no way she would waste it.


	64. Chapter 64

It truly looked like Umbreon had won earlier, but now that Eevee was back up, she would not waste this opportunity. And of course, the black fox refused to just stand there and allow her to get the upper hand back, not when she had come so close to victory.

"Man, this is just so intense," Chanchai said, "I'm so proud of both of them, but I kinda wish this match would end already," Flareon nodding and replying, "Same. But at the same time, this really is shaping up to be one of the greatest matches in Olympic history. I really don't know who's gonna come out on top. For all we know, it may even end in a tie."

Popplio smiled at the screen and nodded while the others could not wait to see how Eevee intended to make up for all the damage she took in earlier. After all, despite all her efforts, she had succumbed to the most throughout the match.

With that in mind, she immediately leapt toward Umbreon only for the fox to lift up her arms while encasing them in her dark aura. However, she was shocked when Eevee smirked and landed right in front of her, saying, "Psyche."

She then sent a hard kick into Umbreon's shin. And with her distracted, the brown fox ran behind her and rammed her skull into her back. She then wrapped her arms around her and lifted her up, planting the back of her head into the canvas as the crowd went wild.

"And after a miraculous recovery, Eevee gets the advantage back with two fierce attacks and a suplex!" Yukiko exclaimed, "She is not letting this chance for a comeback go, folks!"

Umbreon gritted her teeth and ignored the pain to her head, latching her legs around Eevee's neck. She then planted her paws into the mat and lifted the brown fox up, planting her skull into the mat with a frankensteiner. But just as Eevee's friends looked disappointed, their hope rose when the brown fox smirked and fibbed, "Didn't hurt."

Everyone was truly amazed when she planted her paws against the canvas and used them to prop her head out of the hold. She then spun vertically and planted her feet into a spellbound Umbreon's back, knocking her on her belly. And it did not end there as she raced toward the ropes and leapt into them.

"I think I know what's coming, folks!" Yukiko exclaimed, Noivern shouting, "Yeah! Go for it!"

The others were equally ecstatic when Eevee bounced off and rolled up into a ball. And sure enough, just like when she used her Spinning Fox Tackle, Umbreon had risen up just in time to take in the blow to her forehead. And for the first time in the match, she coughed up blood as Eevee squealed, "FLYING FOX WHEEL!"

Eevee received more and more cheers while Umbreon fell on her back, her head tilted sideways. Yukiko started the ten count while Eevee breathed heavily and thought, 'Oh my god! Did I actually do it!? Did I win!?'

Everyone else seemed to think so when Cyndaquil squealed, "You rock, Eevee!" the others joining in with their own cheers.

Even Crabrawler was starting to doubt that Umbreon would get up as he uttered, "Wow, Eevee sure is something. Why does Umbreon underestimate her so much?"

Yukiko reached five seconds when the audience decided to join the count, shouting, "SIX! SEVEN!"

But just as they were about to reach eight seconds, Umbreon's eyes shot open and she pushed herself upright. Eevee's jaw dropped while she rose back to her feet, however, her confidence grew when the black fox put up a great struggle to do so. At the very least, all of the moves she had succumbed to were taking a toll on her.

With that in mind, Eevee smirked and held up a fighting stance, saying, "So that wasn't enough, but that's okay. I'm not gonna stop until it's over."

"Wait," Umbreon remarked with her arm out, everyone staring as she stated, "Before we continue, there's something I want to tell you, Eevee. I was originally going to save this for the end of the match, but this seems like the right time."

Crabrawler blinked and uttered, "What's she talking about?" everyone else wondering the same thing.

Eevee dropped her stance and asked, "What is it?" the black fox giving her a big smile for the first time in ages and saying, "I'm proud of you, sis."

The entire area went silent as even Flareon and Chanchai could not believe what they had just heard. After all this time, Umbreon had finally told Eevee something she had wanted to hear. And needless to say, this left her spellbound, her eyes and mouth wide open.

"The truth is, Eevee, I have seen all of your matches since you came to Earth," Umbreon added, "If I wasn't available to watch it, I'd look for an upload online and check it out there. Ever since your victory over Noivern, you've managed to impress me more and more with every single match. Every time, it really looked like you were going to lose, and yet you always came out on top."

"So you knew about all of that?" Eevee remarked, a look of anger forming as he snapped, "Well then why didn't you say anything!? Up until now, you still treated me like a loser! I tried so hard to show you that I'd improved and yet-"

"I know," Umbreon cut in as the brown fox blinked, "I've actually wanted to tell you all this time how much you impressed me, but I figured if I did, you might go easy on me during this match. That's mostly why I was initially opposed to telling you before the match ended. I wanted you to go all the way against me, so I pretended to underestimate you so you would be motivated to show me everything you had."

Crabrawler blinked and said, "Wow," before thinking, 'Why did she never tell me about that?' as even Eevee's friends could not believe what they were hearing.

"So all this time, you weren't insulting me," Eevee uttered, "You were trying to motivate me," Umbreon sighing, "Yes, and I'm so sorry if, or rather, that I hurt your feelings. But I did it because I love you. When I scolded you after your loss to Golisopod, it was because deep down, I had hoped that my words would get through to you and you would improve. And it seems to have worked."

Eevee stared silently for a few seconds. Like Umbreon said, all of the harsh words that came from her really did hurt. And yet in the end, it was all for Eevee's sake, and she could not stay mad at her sister for that. If anything, she was just happy to know that all this time, Umbreon did not look down on her.

As such, she smiled and let down light tears, running toward her sister and giving her a big hug, the audience watching with tears of their own. Chespin wiped one away and gasped, "Oh, shit, I got something in my eye!" Litwick chuckling before saying, "It's okay. I think it's sweet too."

Even Metapod and Yukiko could not hold back the waterworks as the woman sniffed, "This is just so beautiful. I've heard of friendships forming after matches, but not during them," as the chrysalis nodded and sighed, "Well, that is kind of how I met my wife."

Umbreon smiled softly and returned the gesture, the two eventually letting go as Eevee asked, "So when you told Mommy right in front of my face that I wasn't fit to be a hero-"

"No, I actually meant it at the time," Umbreon remarked, the brown fox groaning, "Way to ruin the mood."

The black fox chuckled before saying, "But you managed to prove me wrong. Again, I am so proud of you, and if you end up being the first one to ever defeat me, I'd be fine with that."

Eevee let out a sigh and grinned before replying, "All I wanted was acknowledgement from you, but you're right. We still have a match to finish."

Upon hearing this, the crowd cheered wildly for both of them. After all that had been said and done, they no longer cared who won the match. They just wanted to see what else the sisters had in store.

"Did you know about all of that, honey?" Chanchai asked, Flareon shaking her head and remarking, "To be honest, I also thought Umbreon secretly hated her," laughing nervously while the man sighed, "So that's mother's intuition. I'm not impressed."

Both sisters raced at one-another and sent a barrage of rapid punches forward. Eevee used her fists while Umbreon used her palms, the dark aura covering her arms once more. Though shockingly, despite the increase in power, Eevee had expertly managed to block each hit with her own. It was as if her strength had increased along with her confidence.

However, Umbreon saw an opening and thus surrounded her leg with her aura. But just as she sent it downward, Eevee countered with a kick of her own, a cute grin on her face. This distracted Umbreon just enough for her to take a hard punch to the face. Even so, she ignored the pain and sent a karate chop into the side of Eevee's neck, both foxes backing away from one-another.

"I'm enjoying this a lot more now," Lycanroc said with a smile, Caterpie nodding and adding, "Yeah. It's nice when there's no malice between the two fighters, isn't it?"

The siblings sent a few more blows to each other before Umbreon flipped toward the turnbuckle and said, "Alright, I can see I'll have to kick things up a notch! I hope you're ready for this!"

Eevee gasped when the black fox latched onto the top of the pole and swung around with her aura making her look more like a disc. As such, Eevee smirked and thought, 'Finally it's time to dish out my newest signature move. I hope you don't mind me borrowing from you, Umbreon.'

With that in mind, she followed suit and did the same as the black fox. But rather than doing exactly what Umbreon was, she shifted her body up as a light brown wind surrounded her. As such, she looked less like a disc and more like a spinning top.

The crowd gasped when both foxes swung toward one-another, Umbreon shouting, "SWIRLING NIGHT BLADE!" while Eevee squealed, "SWIRLING MORNING SQUALL!"

Umbreon's eyes widened while she thought, 'She based a move off of mine?' her cheeks turning light pink as both of them clashed. The crowd was truly amazed when sparks flew from both of them. But in the end, Umbreon's power proved too much, thus Eevee careened back-first into the turnbuckle.

Seeing a golden opportunity, Umbreon sighed, "I'm sorry, Eevee, but I'm gonna be the one to end this," sprinting toward her with a big grin.

Everyone watched in silence while the black fox leapt toward Eevee and wrapped her legs around her shoulders. She then grinned and said, "Sorry, but you're not the only one who came up with a new move for this match."

Eevee's eyes widened when Umbreon lifted her high into the air. She then leaned forward and grabbed the brown fox's ankles, pulling them up so now her face was aimed at the canvas and her back was bent slightly. There was no doubt about it. The brown fox had no way to get out of this.

Both descended toward the mat while a dark aura surrounded both of them, taking the form of a comet. And soon enough, Eevee's face hit the canvas hard while Umbreon shouted, "LUNAR CRASH!"

The crowd gasped as Umbreon released her hold and allowed Eevee to collapse. Metapod and Yukiko nodded at one-another and thus the woman started the ten count.

Popplio watched and blinked, not sure how this would end now. And of course, the others could not help but wonder if Eevee could once again recover. After all, she had taken the full brunt of every single one of Umbreon's finishing moves.

And sure enough, ten seconds were reached. Yukiko rang the bell with a big smile and shouted, "And after easily the most exciting match in the Hero Olympics, Umbreon has won the match! Therefor she will move on to face Scorchicken in the final round!"

Cyndaquil bit her lower lip and squeaked, "Oh no!" Noivern patting her on the shoulder.

Chespin sighed, "She came really close, didn't she?" Lycanroc replying, "Yeah. I really thought she could win," the others in full agreement.

However, their spirits lifted when one audience member gave a slow clap. Soon enough, a few others joined in followed by the rest of the crowd, that clap speeding up. Crabrawler could not help but wave his fist in the air, shouting, "YEAH! WAY TO GO, UMBREON! YOU'RE AWESOME!"

And with that in mind, Lycanroc smiled at Cyndaquil and said, "You know it would be bad sportsmanship not to join in, right?" the shrew nodding as all six gave a round of applause themselves. This was not so much a response to Umbreon's win but rather for the entire match. It was just as Yukiko said. This truly was the most exciting one so far.

Eevee opened her eyes and looked up as Umbreon smiled and said, "Don't be upset, okay? You really impressed me today," the brown fox smiling sweetly and nodding her head. Even though she lost, she could not have felt happier. For the first time in years, she felt like she could finally get along with her sister again.

With that, Umbreon took hold of Eevee's wrist and helped her up, raising her arm high in the air along with hers. The cheers and applause from the crowd were even louder now. Needless to say, for as tough as the matches had been today, everything turned out for the best.

"Well, folks, that concludes the semi-finals!" Metapod stated with a big smile, "And what an exciting round that was! But don't forget, we still have the final match between Scorchicken and Umbreon seven days from now! And like always, it will take place in the Tokyo Dome at noon! We hope to see you all then!"

And with all said and done, Eevee and Umbreon rested their hands on each other's shoulders as the black fox turned to face Scorchicken. As it so happened, she and Blaziken had watched the match by the entrance. The chicken shot her a grin and a thumb up, Umbreon nodding and returning the gesture.

"If you ask me, I think we both deserve a good rest after this," Eevee said with a big smile, "You wanna hang out?" Umbreon's eyes widening. Even though it was clear that the brown fox did not have a grudge against her, it still surprised her that she would treat her like a friend this soon.

Even so, the black fox looked toward Scorchicken before shrugging her shoulders and saying, "Why not? I got a whole week to prepare," before signalling Crabrawler to join them. The crab grinned and got up from his seat, more than happy to join them.

Meanwhile, in Maui, Mapin was currently face-to-face with Tapu Koko. He had his mask in front of his face as he flew toward her, shouting, "WILD CHARGE!" electricity surrounding him.

However, Mapin seemed more than ready for this when she smirked and leapt over him. The rooster's eyes widened while she landed behind him and sent three karate chops into his back. And before he could retaliate, she latched onto his shoulders and hurled him high into the air.

"I gotcha now!" she exclaimed as she leapt up to his level and flipped him over. She then wrapped her legs around the area just below his arms, her lower arms around his midsection and her middle arms around the area above the belt. And finally, she latched onto his ankles and shouted, "MUSCLE TOMBSTONE!" driving the back of his head into the ground.

Bulu's eyes sparkled as he gasped, "That was so cool!" Lele nodding and replying, "Yeah. I've heard of that move, but I didn't think it was that amazing."

"Keep in mind that Mapin has more arms than anyone else before her," Fini explained, "It only stands to reason that her version would be stronger than the original."

Mapin breathed heavily while Koko was down for ten seconds. As such, her victory was confirmed as she rose her arms in the air, shouting, "FINALLY! I'M READY NOW!"

"Well, just about," Koko grunted as he pushed himself back up, "I have to admit, you've really come a long way. Not only are you able to think straight, but you have no problem using your family's old signature moves. However, all five months have not quite passed yet."

"Oh yeah," Mapin uttered, "But what is there left to teach?" Koko smiling and replying, "Well, there is one last thing you need to know, and personally, I think you might need a few days to process it."

"What do you mean?" the girl asked as the rooster signalled her to join him in his room. And when she arrived, he pulled out a page ripped from a newspaper and said, "Look at this."

Mapin's eyes widened when she saw what it said. This was an old article about how Eevee had become Tokyo's biggest hero. But not only that, there was a mention of how the city did not seem to need Mapin to return at all due to the fox and her friends doing such an incredible job keeping them safe.

"You realize what this means, right?" Koko enquired as Mapin tensed up, a look of anger forming on her face. She knew exactly where he was going with this. Even if she returned to Tokyo to show how much better she had gotten, no one would have cared.

"I see you've figured it out," the rooster said with his arms folded, "All those people you grew up with and trusted don't care about you at all. All they ever cared about was your lineage, but when you weren't able to live up to it, they lost all faith in you. And I'm sure the same thing would happen to other heroes if they went through the same kind of thing you did. Does that sound like a world worth fighting for?"

Mapin breathed heavily, trying her hardest not to let this get to her until Koko added, "And what about your so-called friends, Eevee and Popplio? I bet they're loving the fact that their reputation is so much better than that of a Mach. Look at the way Eevee especially has basically taken all the fame that you so rightfully deserved."

After a few seconds, Mapin's eyes glowed red as she growled, "You're right!" taring up the paper, "I see now that you've been trying to tell me! This world isn't worth fighting for! Alright, for the rest of this month, I want you to train me like you've never trained me before!"

Koko smiled, nodded his head and replied, "That's what I like to hear."

During this time, Eevee and her friends had all gone to the club to celebrate. Cyndaquil and Crabrawler both looked around as the crab said, "I have to admit, this is a really nice place. It's simple yet that gives it a lot of its charm."

Cyndaquil nodded and squealed, "I'm so jelly, Eevee! I wish we had a place like this!" the brown fox chuckling and taking a sip of a cocktail.

"Wow," Umbreon said with a grin before taking a sip of sake, "Not only are you a great fighter, but you drink alcohol too. You really have grown up," Eevee nodding with her paws against her hips and remarking, "But of course."

Chespin and Noivern were currently playing a game of pool as the bat stated, "Just so you know, I can tell you have a thing for Litwick."

The chipmunk's cheeks turned bright pink as he whistled innocently only for the bat to sigh, "You don't need to hide it. I'm okay with it. But we won't be around for very long, so you'd better confess sooner than later."

"Oh yeah," the chipmunk sighed, "You guys are only here for one more week," before smiling and adding, "Though thanks for telling me that. I was afraid that maybe you had feelings for her too."

Noivern shrugged and replied, "Look, Litwick's great and all, but she's not really my type. Besides, I can tell she likes you too," Chespin's eyes and mouth wide open. Now he knew he would have to tell her his feelings really soon.

Meanwhile, Lycanroc and Caterpie had just finished a duet with the karaoke machine. Many applauded them as they bowed, the wolf saying, "It's so nice to have a day like this. I just really wish Popplio could join us."

"Yeah," Caterpie sighed, "Maybe we should stop by for a visit when this is all done," the wolf nodding in agreement.

Umbreon let out a sigh and said, "You know, you have it real good here," the brown fox nodding and replying, "Yeah. Cyndaquil told me the same thing. And she's right. I got great friends, lots to do. But today, I feel like my life got a whole lot better."

She then held up her glass and said, "To sisters," Umbreon nodding and adding, "To sisters," the two clinking their glasses together.

"Look at them," Crabrawler sighed, "You'd think they were never at odds with each other to begin with," as Cyndaquil added, "I know. I'm just glad I was here to see this happen."

After an hour, the group was ready to head off. And sure enough, they went to check up on Popplio who was very happy to see them. He told Eevee of just how happy he was to see her and Umbreon finally getting along and that he felt like she had done an amazing job.

Of course, Cyndaquil could not resist the urge to introduce herself and start asking the seal a barrage of questions. After all, he had been unconscious when she first saw him, so to finally have a conversation with the guy who shaped Eevee into the hero she was now felt like a real treat. And with her being so similar to the fox, the two got along really well.

Now all that was left to think about was Umbreon's match with Scorchicken, and this time, Eevee and her friends would help her train along with Crabrawler so she would come out on top. Things had started off so intense and yet now they could not have been better.


	65. Chapter 65

Note: Gallador is Mega Gallade for those who didn't read Earth's Protectors II. Also, the song Isamu and Machop sing is based on Kinnikuman's theme song.

There was only one week left before Umbreon and Scorchicken were scheduled to face off in the Tokyo dome. As such, both fighters were hard at work to prepare themselves. The only difference between the two was that the black fox now had eight friends to help her out, one of them being her own younger sister.

As for why there were eight as opposed to nine, Cyndaquil felt like she had to return to her assigned area now that Eevee's match was over. She figured that she may as well be on standby in case anything happened, and ultimately, the brown fox decided to accept it. After all, it made sense in its own way.

Currently, the group was at Caterpie's mansion, specifically his training facility. Eevee and Popplio decided to take turns sparring with Umbreon while Lycanroc and Caterpie watched, the wolf sighing, "This is great. Popplio's out of the hospital and Umbreon's actually hanging out with us."

Caterpie nodded and replied, "Yeah. It's kinda nice that there's not as much drama and tension as there was before. Especially for us. I kinda wanna see Umbreon win, but I also wanna see Scorchicken claim the belt. But who should I root for?"

His eyes then widened as he gasped, "Oh no, the tension's back!" Lycanroc laughing and patting him on the back before saying, "Calm down, Pookie. We'll be happy no matter who wins, right?"

The caterpillar nodded and replied, "Of course," Umbreon finishing a session with Popplio and saying, "I have to admit, you are as good of a partner as I thought you'd be."

"And you're a lot more pleasant to be around," the seal replied with a grin, "Remind moi again why Crabrawler couldn't be here."

"He wanted to see more of Tokyo," Umbreon replied with a shrug, "Can't say I blame him. He was out cold for a pretty long time."

Eevee nodded and sighed, "I hope he's having a good time. I'm sure Chespin and Litwick are, at the very least," Popplio nodding and replying, "Oui. I gotta thank Noivern for giving him a kick in the right direction."

As it so happened, Chespin had confessed his feelings for Litwick on the way home from the hospital after visiting Popplio. And just as Noivern suspected, she was more than happy to hear this. Right now, the two were out on a walk in the park, Chespin having purchased corn dogs for the two of them.

As he bit into one, he smiled and asked, "So, how is it?" the candle nibbling on her hers and replying, "It's good," her flame burning brighter than ever while she thought, 'I can't believe I'm actually out on a date! I never thought anyone would ever want me!'

Suddenly, a bit of her wax dripped on her food as she squeaked. Chespin groaned, "Oh no, is it ruined now?" Litwick shaking her head and replying, "No, it's just fine," before picking off the wax and reattaching it to herself.

Chespin noticed a bit of the batter stuck to her wax. As such, he snickered quite a bit as Litwick uttered, "What's so-" before feeling the spot. A big smile formed and the two shared a good laugh. The candle was just happy to have a moment like this before she inevitably had to leave.

Noivern, all the while, was also taking a break from anything related to the Olympics. After all, he, too, only had a week left to enjoy Tokyo. And all the while, he smiled and thought, 'It was really nice coming here. I just hope I have another reason to someday.'

All the while, Scorchicken was hard at work training in an abandoned building. She had lots of exercise equipment set up and was practising her kicks. All the while, she remembered a conversation she had with Blaziken earlier.

It was just after the two went out for breakfast. Scorchicken asked if her mother would be around to see her final match in which the old chicken nodded and confirmed it. As it so happened, various past Olympic contestants were called in as special guests, and since Torchic did compete in the tournament back in the day, she was among them.

"So is that why she couldn't be here for my match with Bewear?" Scorchicken enquired as Blaziken nodded and explained, "She and all the other special guests were to report to Hero Planet a week in advance to prepare themselves. I think it's excessive, but that's just how it works I guess."

Scorchicken nodded and took a bite of French toast before sighing, "Hey, Grandma, do you think I can beat Umbreon?" the old chicken raising an eyebrow, "I figured since she and her sister went to the trouble of coming up with new signature moves for their match, I might need to do the same, but I can't really think of anything. It's kinda hard when I can't risk using slam moves, right?"

Blaziken shrugged and replied, "It would be awesome if you could do that, but I don't think you need to," Scorchicken asking, "Are you sure? I mean, Umbreon can cover her whole body with her dark aura while my fire only covers my hands and feet. I can't help thinking she might be-"

"Where is this coming from!?" Blaziken retorted with a serious look in her eyes, "Seriously, you're a Torch! If you spend too much time worrying about coming up with a new fancy move, you'll never be able to focus clearly enough on the match. You've already managed to come up with at least three moves that no one in the family thought of before. And besides, you're the first one who was able to light her hands on fire. Even I couldn't manage that back in the day."

Scorchicken blinked and uttered, "Really?" as the old chicken nodded and sighed, "Seriously, I envy you. God, you even have a better track record than me. I lost to almost half of my opponents back in the day. You still haven't lost once."

The younger chicken's eyes sparkled while she nodded and said, "I guess you're right. After facing Bewear, I really don't have an excuse to be scared," both grinning and pounding their fists together, "Thanks, Grandma. I needed that."

Back in present time, Scorchicken sent a flaming roundhouse into a girder and thought, 'Look out, Umbreon! You may be tough, but I'm gonna win this for the Torch family! And the best part of all is that Mom will be there to see it happen.'

And so the next six days passed by with Umbreon and Scorchicken working their hardest. But before the finals could begin, there was one major event everyone looked just as forward to, and that was the day Blaziken spoke of. Many were assembled at a space station where a ship from Hero Planet had just landed.

A reporter stood in front of a camera and stated, "We are live at a scene where the past tournament participants have just arrived. And they are about to grace us with their presence. Needless to say, this crowd is beyond excited for this momentous occasion."

And sure enough, the door to the shuttle opened up as the first two guests emerged, the reporter stating, "And here we have Venipede and his wife, the first real human hero, Rinko," the centipede and the German woman waving to the cheering crowd.

"Wow, all these people came here to see us," Venipede said with a big smile before Rinko nodded and kissed him on the cheek, saying, "But of course. Though I think most of their eyes are on you."

"You sure about that?" the centipede remarked while quite a few people took snapshots of Rinko. The roots that grew out of her rose up only for her to shake her head and say, "Nein, it's okay. I expected this sort of thing," before posing for the cameras and adding, "This makes me feel young again."

The next to come out was Gyarados, the reporter saying, "And next to come out is Gyarados. Once a villain but turned to the side of good, her power is still amazing," the serpent raising her arms in the air and posing for a few photos herself.

After her, a large furry armadillo with a spiky shell emerged. This was Chespin's father, Chesnaught, and needless to say, hearing the roar of the crowd made him very happy as he smiled and exclaimed, "Hola, Tokyo! It's good to be back!"

Following close behind were a white man with a green head and bladed arms named Gallador and a living pile of trash with a ripped bag for a head named Garbodor. Both waved to the crowd while the trash heap grinned and asked, "How nice is this? It's been so long."

Gallador nodded and added, "Yeah. I just wish Mapin hadn't decided to take off all those months back. I'd like to see her again."

"Oh yeah, she is technically part of your family," Garbodor replied with a nod, "I'm just amazed Machop's able to stay as positive as she has this whole time considering how long she's been away for. If my little Olivia ran away for almost half-a-year, I don't know what I'd do."

With that in mind, he waved to a nearby camera, hoping she was watching while Gallador chuckled, a yellow and red fox with a build like that of a witch named Delphox following close behind. And of course, she also got plenty of attention as a light smile formed on her face.

But of course, the two everyone had anticipated the most emerged last. They were Machop and Torchic, the woman waving to the crowd and shouting, "Hello, Tokyo!"

The people all cheered as the reporter stated, "And here we see the former Olympic champion herself, Machop along with her most trusted ally, Torchic. Now, all of you had better come to the Tokyo Dome an hour early for they're gonna give us a real treat before the match begins."

While Machop continued to wave, Torchic sighed, "Why are you so excited? You live here, right?" as Machop shrugged and replied, "True, but it's been a while since I got this much attention. You gotta give me that much."

The chicken let out a sigh and remarked, "You're just trying to stay positive, aren't you?" the woman nodding and groaning, "Yeah. I mean, Mapin's been gone for way too long. I thought she'd come back in a month, but this has been eating away at me. Tokyo's in really good hands now, but I just really wanna see my daughter again, you know?"

Torchic nodded and decided to lighten the mood with a little teasing as she nudged Machop and said, "Well, on the upside, thanks to her absence, my daughter's the one in the finals instead of her."

The woman snickered and retorted, "Hey, cut that out!" giving her a light punch on the shoulder while the reporter stated, "Even in front of all these people, they still act like old chums. That's true friendship, folks."

With Machop's mind clear once more, she ran toward Gallador and tapped him on the shoulder. When he turned to her, she said, "Hey, the others and I were thinking of hanging out at the club once this is all over. You guys wanna join us?" the man and Garbodor nodding with big smiles on their faces. Of course, the others also included Venipede and Rinko since they too were Machop's allies in Tokyo back in the day.

The woman then invited Chesnaught to join them as he replied, "Actually, I wanna spend what little time I have here with my son if that's alright with you. He's also living in Tokyo now, you know?" Machop gasping, "Right! I'd forgotten all about that!"

"Ja, I did too," Rinko uttered while Venipede was currently talking to Delphox who was more than happy to join them.

But of course, they were not the only celebrities to arrive in Tokyo today. At a local airport, Flareon and Chanchai arrived as the fox sighed, "Thank god we made it a day early."

"No kidding," the man remarked, "After all that talk about how you were gonna remember, I had to remind you at the last minute," the orange fox twiddling her fingers and whimpering, "Well, you should have reminded me sooner."

Either way, both were more than eager to see their daughters. As such, they decided to head to Eevee's new address, figuring at least she might be there. And with both getting along, there was even a small chance that Umbreon might be around as well.

As it so happened, both sisters were there at this very moment. They had just finished their first round of training and were currently watching the news, the brown fox saying, "Wow, all those legends. I wish I was there right now."

"That's what you get for agreeing to train with me instead," Umbreon remarked teasingly before Eevee stuck out her tongue and muttered, "See if I help you again."

Suddenly, they heard the doorbell ring as Eevee got up, saying, "I wonder if Popplio's come over to help us train. I told him he and the others had done enough, though," before opening the door, her eyes sparkling. And sure enough, both Flareon and Chanchai were there with big grins on their faces.

Eevee immediately held them both in a tight embrace before calling for Umbreon. And needless to say, she was just as happy to see them. After all, she wanted them to see at least one of her matches up close, and this would be their last chance.

Soon enough, the entire family was seated for a nice lunch involving fish and a salad, Flareon smiling and saying, "Well, seems like you're coming along nicely, Eevee. You're almost at my level," a smug look on her face while Chanchai sighed, "Honey, please."

"Still, I really am impressed," Umbreon said with a light smile, "You're a great fighter, you can handle your alcohol and you can cook. I've gotta say, that Popplio's been a great influence on you," Eevee nodding and sighing, "Well, it was Mommy who got me started."

Flareon continued to look smug. For a brief second, everyone could swear they saw her nose grow to the size of a tengu's. Though this did not surprise them at all as she had always been a tad egotistical.

While they enjoyed their lunch, they continued to talk and had a great time together. It was so nice for the parents to see Eevee and Umbreon get along so well. For the first time in years, they felt like a real family again.

During this time, Machop and the others were at the club with Isamu, the man saying, "So you basically spent an entire week preparing to exit a space vessel? Sounds like a waste of time to me," Machop sighing, "Tell me about it. Seriously, I could understand a day in advance, but a week?"

Torchic grinned and said, "Well, you know how it is. Everything in the Hero Olympics is a huge event," Gallador finishing off a glass of fruit punch and ordering another one.

"So even after all these years, you all refuse to drink alcohol," Garbodor sighed, "Seriously, at least try a cocktail," Machop groaning, "No! Alcohol's disgusting! Daddy hates it, Grandpa hated it, Mapin hates it, and I hate it too."

"Seriously, you shouldn't trash it before you try it," Venipede remarked, "Remember how sceptical I was to try beer for the first time?" Rinko replying, "You know, you didn't exactly hesitate. The only reason you didn't wanna try it was because your mom didn't let you until you became independent."

"I still never drink around her," the centipede remarked, "Seriously, if she saw me right now, she'd kick my ass," Delphox laughing out loud and exclaiming, "Wow! I'm sorry, but that is just sad!"

The owner came by with Gallador's forth cup of fruit punch, saying, "It's really nice having all of you guys here. My dad loved serving you back in the day," Machop nodding and replying, "Yeah. I guess after the group disbanded, we just didn't feel like coming here anymore. But I've heard Eevee and her friends are regulars."

"They sure are," the man replied, "And just like you guys, they're always the life of the party when they come here."

Isamu nodded and said, "It's just a shame Meloetta and Vigoroth couldn't be here. Though on that note, why aren't Jackalu and Clawitzer with you guys? Clawitzer made it to the semi-finals and Jackalu's a member of the Adair clan. You'd think they'd want them to make a guest appearance."

"I'm not complaining," Garbodor remarked with a shrug, "If they had come, Gyarados and I would have been left out," as Torchic laughed and explained, "What he means is that they didn't want any special attention this time around, so they decided to sit it out. They figured watching their son compete was enough."

Machop let out a sigh and said, "Yeah, I wish I could have done that much," Isamu tensing up and uttering, "Hey, I got an idea. Let's try out the old karaoke machine, eh?"

This lightened up the woman's mood right away and thus the two immediately got up and started an epic beat on the machine. The guests all stared while the two sang, "Never give up! That is the way of the hero! Never give up! Rising up above all odds! With her powers, she conquers all who dare to oppose all mankind! She's the super awesome fighter, the great Machop!"

While they sang, everyone smiled wide as even after all these years, both of them had amazing singing voices. And all the while, Gallador sighed, "It's too bad Eiko's all the way in Sapporo. She would have loved this."

"Why didn't you two get married in the end?" Torchic asked as the man groaned, "Are you going to bring that up every single time I mention her?" the others snickering before directing their attention back to the lovely couple.

"She's the super awesome fighter, the great Machop!" both belted before throwing their arms in the air, everyone cheering wildly.

All the while, Chespin was at his shack with Litwick, the two watching TV when suddenly, the door opened and a familiar booming voice shouted, "Alright, I was told that my son lived here! Where is he!?"

"Dad!" Chespin squealed as he ran toward Chesnaught, the two hugging one-another while Litwick smiled lightly and said, "Hi."

Chesnaught blinked and replied, "Hola." And soon enough, he was introduced to the candle and told of how she was Chespin's new girlfriend. Needless to say, the very fact that his son had found someone was music to his ears.

And so the rest of the day went by swimmingly. Umbreon and Eevee got more training in, only now they had Flareon to help them out. Machop and her friends also continued to have a great time even after they were finished at the club. Chespin and Chesnaught also had a lot of fun, and with Litwick there as well, it was even better.

But even so, there was still tomorrow to look forward to. Everyone had anticipated the match between Umbreon and Scorchicken and it would not be long until the event finally started.


	66. Chapter 66

This was it, the big day. The final match was underway and everyone was headed to the Tokyo Dome at ten thirty. As much as it would have made more sense to come at eleven, that was when a certain big event would happen, one that was always held before the final match.

Once everyone was seated, Metapod sat behind a desk and exclaimed, "Alright, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, it's almost time for the Hero Olympics finals!" the crowd cheering wildly as Yukiko added, "But before that, we have a very special treat, specifically an exhibition match between two very famous tag teams! As for which ones I'm referring to, you'll have to wait for the big reveal, but trust me, it'll be worth it!"

Umbreon, meanwhile, got in some last minute training in a secluded area. Suddenly, Eevee entered and asked, "So, you ready for this?"

"Yes, I am," the black fox replied with a smirk, "Look, just because we get along now doesn't mean you have to worry about me every so often. I beat you after all, remember?" Eevee sticking out her tongue and lowering her eyelid.

She then grinned and handed her a small box, saying, "Mommy told me to give this to you. She forgot all about it yesterday," Umbreon shaking her head and sighing, "Of course she did," bowing her head.

Crabrawler entered at that moment and noticed Eevee exit the area, the two giving each other a light wave. He then smiled and asked, "Hey, Umbreon, would you like to spar for a bit? The equipment in here doesn't seem worthy of someone of your calibre."

The black fox nodded with a light smile and replied, "Yes. I'd like that very much," covering her arm in a dark aura and adding, "Though we should make this quick. After all, I don't wanna strain myself before the match, right?"

Meanwhile, Scorchicken was busy training as well, thinking, 'Damn, I heard Mom's gonna fight today. I wish I could afford to stay there and watch, but no. I need to stay focused on this match.'

After a few minutes, Eevee took a seat with her friends as Popplio said, "There you are. So, did you do what you needed to?" the brown fox nodding and squealing, "Yeah! She's gonna be so happy when she sees what's in that box, I just know it!"

Caterpie nodded and whispered, "Hey, guys, Dad told me who the two teams fighting are. You all wanna know right now?" Lycanroc shaking her head and replying, "Honestly, I'd like to be surprised," the others nodding while Chespin and Eevee groaned, "Aw, come on! We like spoilers!"

Once five minutes remained until eleven, Crabrawler and Umbreon had just finished training. The crab grinned and said, "Oh yeah, you got this in the bag," the black fox nodding and pounding her fist against his.

He then got up and said, "Anyway, I'm off to see the exhibition match. I wish you could come too."

Umbreon nodded and gave him a light smile, signalling him to head off so he would not miss a second. The crab grinned before racing off, though his grin was for a different reason. As exciting as the upcoming matches would be, he was just glad to see Umbreon no longer bottling up her positivity.

He arrived just in time and took a seat next to Noivern, the bat saying, "Good, you did come. I was starting to wonder if I really should have saved you the seat," the crab sighing, "Yeah, yeah, you know why it took me so long."

"Alright, folks, it's time for the first of two very exciting events!" Yukiko exclaimed with a big smile, "For those who came in after we made the announcement, this will be a tornado tag match between two very popular teams from back in the day! All four of these fighters have saved Tokyo many times in the past, even saving the whole world once!"

"I think I know who she's referring to," Eevee squealed while the others' eyes widened, Caterpie folding his arms with a smile.

"In the red corner," Metapod stated, "These two used to be the biggest losers on their team, but after getting their first real win and discovering their love for each other, they became a force to be reckoned with! One is a mighty bug with six arms and the other is the adopted daughter of Scyther and the first human to become a hero! They are The Mighty Kafer!"

The crowd cheered wildly when Venipede and Rinko headed toward the ring, the woman balancing herself on top of the centipede while he rolled forward like a circus ball. Popplio beamed and said, "I like this entrance," the others giving him an odd look.

Rinko leapt off and performed many flips. And after a few seconds, she landed firmly against the ring with her arms spread out, Venipede propelling himself into the air and landing atop his antennae. The crowd was even more ecstatic when the centipede flipped himself upright and took a deep breath, saying, "Even after all these years, we can still pull this off."

Some people were rather curious about Rinko's look seeing as some of her roots covered up her chest and belt area like a bra and a speedo. As such, Yukiko explained, "For those wondering about the roots growing out of Rinko's body, they were planted in her by a villain named Jumpluff. This was never caught on camera, but it was said that the seed was initially meant to hinder her performance and make her paranoid. However, through the power of determination, Rinko managed to tame the roots so now they fight for her and add to her already impressive might."

Metapod nodded before exclaiming, "And in the blue corner, we have the legends themselves! The daughters of Machoke and Blaziken respectively, these two have done more than enough to earn themselves a spot in the Hall of Heroes! With strength, speed and, most of all, a spirit outmatched by many, I give you The New Raging Bulls!"

The crowd cheered even louder but stopped when a tall cloaked figure headed toward the ring. Many were curious as to who this was until she tripped and fell forward, the cloak flying off to reveal that Torchic had been standing on Machop's shoulders to pull this off, the woman groaning, "Even after all these years, I still can't pull these off."

The people stared briefly before laughing, Yukiko groaning as Metapod nodded and said, "Ah, yes, it wouldn't be a match with those two if Machop didn't screw up in some way. This takes me back."

Eevee blinked and uttered, "So that's what she used to do all the time?" before Crabrawler sighed, "Oh yeah, Dad used to show me footage of that. This isn't even her at her most embarrassing."

Both heroes rose up and dusted themselves off before entering the ring, Venipede chuckling, "Even when you're retired from hero work, you never change," before Machop folded her arms and sighed, "Yeah, yeah. Come on, let's just get this started already."

"Wow, Tokyo's first four heroes all at once," Eevee uttered, "You were right, Lycanroc. This was worth waiting for," the wolf shooting her a grin.

Soon enough, both teams stood on separate sides of the ring as Metapod said, "Without further ado, let us begin," Yukiko ringing the bell.

With that, Machop and Torchic smirked and raced toward their opponents. The woman immediately went for Rinko while the chicken leapt toward Venipede and started to deliver an onslaught of rapid kicks into his skull. However, he had expected this and thus ignored the pain while his antennae glowed purple.

"VENOSHOCK!" he barked as he rammed them both into the chicken's ankles, leaning backward and planted her chin into the canvas.

Machop, meanwhile, aimed a punch at Rinko's face only for her to dodge to the side. Her free roots than proceeded to latch onto the woman's arm and she was soon flung sideways toward Venipede who instinctively rammed three of his elbows into her.

The crowd cheered while Yukiko stated, "And it would seem as if these two still have amazing chemistry as they have managed to knock both opponents down."

It did not end there when Venipede leapt toward Torchic and pinned her to the mat, wrapping his upper arms around her chin, his middle arms around her waist and his lower arms a little bit lower. While using his legs to trap her in place, he forced her back upward while she groaned, "You're not using your Centipede Backbreaker, are you?"

"Nope," Venipede replied with a big smile before he leapt high into the air and flipped multiple times. And soon enough, Torchic's belly was aimed toward the mat. And when she made contact, the centipede shouted, "CENTIPEDE MOONSAULT!" the chicken gasping in pain.

It was not just her as after Machop got up, Rinko sped toward her with her arm bent and spat, "ARM SCHWERT!" sending an amazingly powerful karate chop into her midsection and knocking her on her back once again.

The crowd was truly amazed while Eevee's jaw dropped, the fox uttering, "I knew they were good, but damn, to think a karate chop could be that strong."

However, Machop ignored the pain and propelled herself up with her leg stretched out. And when it made contact with Rinko's neck, she spat, "MOON LARIAT!" the woman falling to the mat. Seeing this, Venipede gasped, "RINKO!" only for Torchic to wrap her legs around his neck and force him backwards into the canvas. She then bit into one antenna and pulled back, grunting through clenched teeth, "TORCH FAMILY SPECIAL!"

"So she really can use it without arms," Litwick uttered as Chespin shouted, "Now that's more like it!"

With Venipede distracted, Machop had a golden opportunity as she wrapped her arms around Rinko and asked, "You ready for this, Torchic?" the chicken nodding. As strong as her hold was, she knew the centipede would not submit so easily.

With that in mind, both teammates leapt high into the air with Machop a little bit lower than Torchic. She then added to her hold by wrapping her legs around Rinko, setting her up for her Ultimate Driver. Torchic, meanwhile, had Venipede ready to succumb to the Muscle Tombstone, only without arms, all she could do was wrap her legs around the area just below his shoulders.

"Aw man, I wanted to show off more skills," Venipede groaned when his head was placed up against Rinko's feet, the woman sighing, "It was nice while it lasted."

Soon enough, her skull hit the canvas hard while Machop and Torchic shouted, "MUSCLE COFFIN!"

And with that, both Mighty Kafers were out for exactly ten seconds, Yukiko ringing the bell and shouting, "And that concludes the exhibition match! Even though these heroes have weakened with age, they can still kick major butt!" Metapod nodding with a big smile on his face. Just seeing all four of them in action again made him beyond happy.

Venipede sat upright and rubbed the back of his head, groaning, "You alright, honey?" Rinko replying, "Ja. This is the most alive I've felt in years," the two rising to their feet and laughing.

"We weren't too hard on you, were we?" Machop uttered as Venipede sighed, "Nope. As always, you both know just how much pressure to apply to your finishing moves."

"I'm not surprised you won, but come you, couldn't let us last a little longer?" Rinko groaned, Torchic and Machop laughing nervously.

With all said and done, all four friends exited the ring when Eevee said, "Wow, the Muscle Coffin. It's even cooler up close," Popplio replying, "Oui. It's said that Machamp and Combusken invented it. It's such a simple concept yet so effective."

"What I don't get is how Venipede took in just as much pain as Rinko," Crabrawler stated, "I mean, she hit the mat, but he was up against her feet."

"That's exactly why," Caterpie explained, "Because his head took in pain from her feet, it was like he took a powerful kick to the skull. It really is a sight to behold."

Metapod smiled and said, "Alright, anyone who needs to get up for anything, do it now for the main event will be starting within the next fifty minutes. And if you thought watching these two teams face off was exciting, you haven't seen anything yet."

During this time, Umbreon had finished her exercises and decided to rest up for the big event. At this moment, she decided to open the box Eevee gave her and see what was inside. Her eyes widened as it contained a black sleeveless top with a flaming skull on it and two white bracelets with black flames engraved on them.

She immediately put them on and thought, 'These are the clothes Mom used to wear to her most important matches. Thanks, Mom,' a light smile on her face.

Meanwhile, in the opposite hallway, Torchic and Machop were walking along as the woman sighed, "I'm a little sad now. This'll likely be the last time we fight in front of a big crowd like this," Torchic replying, "I know."

She then passed by one particular door and said, "Hold on, Machop," before pulling an envelope out from under her feathers and sliding it under the sweep. She then smiled and added, "Alright, let's go wash up. Can't watch my daughter kick ass with dirty feet, right?"

Scorchicken had just finished training when she noticed the envelope. Her eyes widened as she opened the door and looked around, but by this point, Machop and Torchic had already turned a corner and left the area. As such, she shrugged and opened the envelope to see a letter inside.

She unfolded it and smiled while she said out loud, "Even if you lose, just know that I am proud of you. Mom," a light tear forming in her eye before she wiped it away and sighed, "I'll still do my best. But thanks anyway. That was mighty kind of you."

Soon enough, there were only ten minutes left before the match. But as excited as the crowd was, they were also curious about one thing in particular. Shortly after Machop and the others joined them in the bleachers, the other five heroes who arrived with them were seated around the ring in a star-like formation. Chespin smiled and exclaimed, "Hi, Dad!" as Chesnaught turned to him with a grin and gave him a light wave.

"Act professional," Delphox whispered in a voice loud enough for him to hear before he sighed and folded his arms. He then looked seriously at the ring and thought, 'So this is my big duty? To stare at the ring for the entire match? Some great honour this is.'

Garbodor felt the same. If anything, he was starting to wish Jackalu and Clawitzer had agreed to come so he and Gyarados would not have to be subjected to this. The serpent, however, saw this chance to see all the action up close as a privilege, so she had no problem with this.

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, the final match is just about to begin!" Metapod announced, "While the four who just fought will view the match from the bleachers, the other five who came with them will be watching the ring closely to make sure neither finalist breaks a rule."

"Oh, so that's what that's about," Eevee uttered, "That's pretty cool, actually," Popplio nodding and replying, "Just think, you might get to do that one day, especially with how far you got."

The fox smiled at the thought of that. However, a part of her vastly preferred the idea of being chosen for an exhibition match just so she could show off her skills like Machop and Torchic had done. At the very least, it looked like the more enjoyable task.

"Now, before we begin, we'd like to show you why these particular heroes have earned the right to be here," Yukiko stated as she directed everyone's attention toward a jumbotron. She then stated, "First, we'll start with Chesnaught, who defeated the Ukrainian hero, Klefki, to advance to the semi-finals."

Chesnaught grinned with pride while everyone watched footage of him ramming into a sentient collection of keys with a green energy surrounding his body. He then caused him to fall apart with a whack from his tail, thus winning him the match, the crowd truly amazed by this.

"Wow," Eevee uttered, "How did he get away with that?" Chespin folding his arms with a grin and explaining, "He didn't actually kill Klefki. It was pretty easy for the doctors to put him back together."

"And let us not forget Delphox and how she defeated Shuckle after succumbing to a great deal of pain," Metapod stated as everyone watched the recording of her sending flames into the holes of a shell shaped like a small meteor. Afterwards, a turtle with a noodle-like structure emerged and took two karate chops to her neck.

Delphox smiled and thought, 'Yeah, she was annoying, but it was worth it in the end.'

Footage from Garbodor's match with Machop showed as he unleashed a large burp to distract her. He then lifted her up, molded her into a ball and slammed her hard into the mat, many audience members wincing at the sight of this. All the while, the heap let out a sigh and groaned, "And just think, if I actually won that match, they'd show that instead."

Gyarados' match with Gallador was shown next, everyone staring in awe at the footage of the serpent sliding up a swirling waterfall she had shot from her mouth with her fist up. She then sent it hard into Gallador's chin. Watching this on the screen, the serpent smirked and looked at Gallador, asking, "Remember that?"

"Yeah, do you remember this?" he enquired as he directed her attention to the recording of the end of the match in which he sent his arms downward in an X formation across her chest. This was just enough to knock her out, Metapod saying, "Oh yeah, Gallador and Gallade's infamous Psycho Cut. That takes me back."

More footage was shown for the others, such as Rinko slamming Venipede's head into the canvas by lifting him onto her shoulder, leaping into the air and leaning backward. This was a move known as Flying Hammer and was invented by her mother, Scyther.

However, this recording was later followed by the centipede defeating her with his Centipede Moonsault. Seeing this on the screen, he turned to Rinko with concern before she grinned and said, "I still can't believe it. You invented a move right on the spot to defeat me."

"Wow, maybe if she had the roots at the time, she might have won," Lycanroc suggested as the others shrugged their shoulders.

The next footage to be shown was of Torchic delivering her Blaze Kick to a cake-like dog named Slurpuff. However, this did not make the chicken happy as she frowned and grunted, "I still can't believe my own fanbase booed me for that. If they hadn't distracted me, I would have won that match," Machop laughing nervously and patting her on the shoulder.

"And of course, we have saved the best for last," Metapod stated, "I of course speak of the moment where Machop won the Olympics."

He then showed the footage of the woman holding onto Slurpuff's feet with her ankles right up against his head. She had his back bent slightly as the back of his head hit the mat hard. This was a move called Mach Lightning and it was the only solo move that Machop herself invented.

"I have to admit, this is just as cool as watching them fight earlier," Eevee said, Popplio nodding and replying, "Oui. Now I actually wanna look up old recordings of these matches and see how they all got to that point."

With all of the footage shown and the audience hyped, Metapod stated, "And now it's finally time to begin the main event, the Hero Olympics Finals! In the red corner, hailing from America, she has blasted her way to this round by defeating a vicious bat, my own son and even a cheating bear! With fire, spirit and power, the daughter of Torchic and the new Texas Phoenix, Scorchicken!"

The area burst with cheers and applause when the chicken once again entered the area with her cowgirl outfit on. An epic Western score played in the background as she raced toward the ring, performing a series of somersaults and propelling herself high into the air. She then lit her hands and feet on fire, streams of the element flying away from her while she landed on her feet with her arms out. She then picked off a sheriff's badge and threw it out of the ring, but this time, she decided to wear the outfit for the match. She figured if anything, this was the right time to do so.

"As you can see, she is very fired up!" Yukiko exclaimed while Torchic clapped her feet together and shouted, "Looking good!"

Scorchicken turned to face her and smiled with her arms folded. She would have tipped her hat, but she had already given that away to a fan in the first round. Either way, the entrance was still more than enough to get the audience pumped.

Caterpie and Lycanroc gave her a round of applause as well, Chespin sighing, "After this is all over, we should ask her to hang out with us. Then maybe we could be her friends too."

"And in the blue corner," Yukiko said, "Coming to us from Thailand is Eevee's sister, who has proven herself to be a major threat in the ring. She has beaten a mighty wolf, a ghostly sword and Tokyo's biggest hero herself to make it this far and she shows no signs of stopping! Give it up for Umbreon!"

Once again, the cheers were almost deafening when Umbreon entered the area with a cloak on. Many watched as she approached the ring, a dramatic musical score accompanying her. And once she reached the ring, she threw off the cloak to reveal her shirt and bracelets, the crowd truly amazed.

Flareon and Chanchai both cheered and applauded, the orange fox shouting, "She's wearing my clothes! She's wearing my clothes!" the man sighing, "Please, try to be humble about this."

Umbreon grinned at the Flareon before facing Eevee who gave her a thumb up. Scorchicken smiled at this and held out her hand, saying, "Hey, Umbreon, after seeing all of your matches, I couldn't ask for a better final opponent."

Umbreon turned to her and replied, "Same here," the two shaking hands as the audience cheered once more, Metapod exclaiming, "Isn't that just touching!? Even though they're about to fight, they're acting like best friends! That is true sportsmanship, people!"

And with that, both fighters moved to separate sides of the ring. All Yukiko had to do was ring the bell and the match would finally begin.


	67. Chapter 67

This was it. After a whole week of anticipation, everyone would soon find out who the Hero Olympics champion would be.

"Well, folks, I think it's time to begin this match," Yukiko stated as she rang the bell. And with that, Scorchicken wasted no time racing toward Umbreon with a determined grin on her face.

Umbreon leapt to the side just in time to avoid an incoming tackle. However, Scorchicken had seen this coming as she lit her foot on fire and swung her leg to the side. The black fox was just as prepared and thus she covered her leg in a dark aura and sent a roundhouse of her own into the incoming leg.

"Way to go, sweetie!" Flareon squealed while Scorchicken took in slight pain from this and distanced herself. After all, Umbreon had hit the part that was not covered in fire. As such, she easily overpowered the kick thanks to her aura.

This left Scorchicken distracted as Umbreon took full advantage of this and sent a palm punch into her face. She then took hold of her wrists and leaned back, slamming her skull into the canvas.

The Thai crowd cheered wildly while Yukiko exclaimed, "And Umbreon's off to an incredible start! By simply overpowering Scorchicken's roundhouse, she has left her open for what appears to be a different kind of suplex! Needless to say, Scorchicken will need to up her game if she's gonna win the championship and give her family the honour they've been pining for!"

"Well, at least someone from your family is likely to win the belt," Caterpie said with a smile geared toward Eevee, the brown fox nodding and replying, "Yeah, I have no doubt she'll win this. As awesome as it would have been for me to get that championship belt, it would still be a triumph for the Chimlin clan."

Scorchicken sprang to her feet and thought, 'Dammit, her aura's already getting the better of me. If only I could light my whole leg on fire instead of just my foot.'

She then remembered Blaziken's words and took a deep breath, holding up her fists and lighting her feet aflame. There was no way she would allow Umbreon to win, not when she was so close to becoming champion.

With that, she sped toward Umbreon who covered her arms in a dark aura and held them up. However, she was shocked when the chicken knelt down and swept her leg into her ankles. And when she tripped and fell on her back, Scorchicken latched onto her leg and shouted, "TORCH FAMILY SPECIAL!"

The American fans went wild as Lycanroc sighed, "I had a feeling it wouldn't be that easy," Noivern uttering, "I really hope Umbreon can get out of that," Litwick patting him on the shoulder.

But when it looked like Umbreon's leg would meet the same fate as Noivern's wing, she immediately encased it in her aura. Scorchicken gasped and released her hold, distancing herself and thinking, 'Right, I gotta think logically about this. If I'd held on much longer, she could have easily taken advantage of that.'

The black fox rose to her feet and smiled briefly. She was glad to see Scorchicken using her head. After all, as much as she wanted to win, she did not want an easy victory.

Even so, she had an opportunity to fight back and she fully intended to use it. As such, she leapt toward Scorchicken with her leg stretched out and covered in the aura. Seeing this, the chicken narrowed her eyelids and thought, 'There is a way to counter this!' before leaping backward and planting her back up against the ropes.

The American crowd cheered when she bounced off and stretched both of her legs out, a phoenix head forming on her feet. Both fighters collided as the chicken exclaimed, "ROARING PHOENIX!"

Umbreon's eyes widened when this wound up overpowering her aura. As such, she careened backward as her head went between the ropes. And with her now trapped in place, Scorchicken smirked and leapt into the air.

"UMBREON, LOOK OUT!" Eevee squeaked, but it was too late since the chicken was now right above Umbreon's back with her feet still on fire. And while she descended, she shouted, "BLAZE KICK ANVIL!" ramming both into the spot she had aimed for. Umbreon cried out in pain as the cheers for Scorchicken got louder.

"Umbreon had a great start, but now Scorchicken has gotten the upper hand with her family's infamous Roaring Phoenix and Blaze Kick!" Yukiko stated, "At this rate, she might just win after all."

Rather than taking further advantage of this, Scorchicken kept her distance and allowed Umbreon to pry her head out from between the ropes. All the while, Eevee took a deep breath and tried not to panic. Her sister had taken in a lot more than that before. Honedge put multiple cuts in her and she still came out on top. Surely this was not enough to make her feel weak.

However, it seemed so when Umbreon struggled to keep standing, Crabrawler staring in horror. But he was shocked when he noticed Scorchicken not moving an inch. Instead, she held up her arms defensively and narrowed her eyelids, thinking, 'How stupid do you think I am? I haven't dealt nearly enough hits for you to be this weak.'

After a few seconds, though, she noticed that Umbreon had not regained her energy. As such, she blinked as an American fan shouted, "Hey, Umbreon, she's wide open!"

"Yeah, this is your chance!" another added, Chespin groaning, "Oh no, this isn't good!"

Eevee shook her head and whispered, "I'm sure she's just faking it," Crabrawler nodding and replying, "Right. Sometimes even I forget that she usually does that once a match to throw her opponents off. Scorchicken's totally gonna get it now."

Unfortunately, though, it really did seem as if Scorchicken's Blaze Kick had dealt more damage than expected. As such, the chicken smirked and leapt toward her, this time lighting her hands and feet on fire and spreading them out. She then spun like a tornado and shouted, "BLAZE TWISTER!"

Eevee's eyes widened as she whimpered, "She is faking it, right?" Crabrawler gulping, "Doesn't seem like it."

But once it looked like Umbreon would take in another hit, she leapt up and said, "Gotcha." Thus Scorchicken was caught off guard as the black fox latched her ankles to her neck and brought her spin to a halt. She then leaned backward and took hold of the chicken's ankles, propelling them both high into the air and flipping one hundred and eighty degrees.

"FULL MOON CRASH!" she shouted as Scorchicken's skull made contact with the canvas, the Thai fans cheering wildly while Eevee and Crabrawler both breathed a simultaneous sigh of relief. They could not believe Umbreon had managed to trick them as well, especially when they both knew her fighting style.

Umbreon released her hold and allowed Scorchicken to collapse while Metapod stated, "It really looked like this match would be over with way too soon, but it would seem Umbreon was merely faking her pain. This gave her the advantage she needed to deliver her mighty Full Moon Crash."

"Yeah, way to go!" Flareon exclaimed, "Not sure I fully approve of that way of fighting just yet, but still, that was awesome!" as Chanchai nodded and gave the black fox a thumb up.

"Oh, that must have been painful to watch," Machop uttered before Torchic sighed, "Yeah, but honestly, I probably would have fallen for that too. Besides, I'm pretty sure she can handle this."

It seemed so when Scorchicken leapt back to her feet. She narrowed her eyelids as Umbreon nodded and said, "I figured you would have caught on right away, so I extended my fake-out to make it look more legit. Nice to see it actually worked."

"Doesn't matter," the chicken retorted with a smirk, "The important thing is that your move didn't finish me off, meaning I can make up for this!" the black fox retorting, "Oh, really now? Why don't you show me."

With that in mind, both fighters raced toward one-another while Umbreon encased her arms in darkness and sent an array of palm punches toward Scorchicken. Once again, the chicken saw a way to avoid this as she lit her hands on fire and sent them forward at a rapid speed, shouting, "PYRO GATLING!"

Just like when she used this against Bewear, her fists made the sound of gun shots while she managed to fight off Umbreon's palms. And after a few seconds, she noticed an opening and struck her hard in the face. As a result, the black fox dropped her guard and received twenty more punches. As much as Scorchicken would have liked to have delivered more, she remembered full well what happened when she tried that against Bewear.

'That's right, this move requires a lot of energy,' she thought as she ended her onslaught with a hard uppercut to Umbreon's chin, shouting, "SKY UPPERCUT!"

Eevee squeaked in panic when Umbreon fell hard on her back, the American fans going wild while Yukiko exclaimed, "Scorchicken said she would make up for the damage dealt to her earlier, and she really has, folks! Not only does she unleash a barrage of punches, but she has also landed the move Blaziken used to defeat Onix back in the day!"

Torchic clapped her feet together and exclaimed, "Yeah! Way to go, Scorchicken!" the others cheering heavily while Venipede said, "Your daughter's incredible."

Machop nodded and thought, 'Yeah, she really is, and I have no doubt Mapin will be just as amazing someday, if not more. The others may not realize it, but I just know she went off to train and when she returns, she'll be just as much of a hero for Tokyo as the others. Heck, I didn't start off great either.'

Things did not end there, though, when Scorchicken leapt at Umbreon and lit her feet on fire, shouting, "MACHINE FLAMETHROWER!" sending rapid kicks toward her.

Umbreon was ready this time as she encased her entire body in the black aura. Thus when the kicks hit, they dealt less pain. This was all she needed while she lifted up her arms and took hold of Scorchicken's ankles.

The Thai crowd went wild when the black fox propelled herself into the air and threw her arms downward, sending Scorchicken's back into the canvas. Eevee beamed bright at the sight of this and said, "I knew there was no way that would take her down. Go Umbreon!"

As much sense as it made at this point, hearing her own sister cheering for her made Umbreon happy. It made her wish she had not spent as long pretending to resent her as she had. And of course, there was no way she would let the brown fox down as she continued to hold onto Scorchicken's ankles and threw her high into the air.

The cheers were even louder since everyone knew what was coming. And they were right as Umbreon leapt up to Scorchicken's level and planted all four of her paws into her back. She then applied enough weight to flip both of them until their skulls were facing the canvas, shouting, "SOARING RAVEN!"

And sure enough, both soon made contact as a cloud of smoke surrounded them, Eevee squealing, "YEAH! WAY TO GO, SIS!" Popplio sighing, "She's kinda like you. She has a knack for getting out of tight spots, non?"

But when the smoke cleared, everyone stared wide-eyed as it seemed the attack had not landed at all. In fact, Scorchicken had thrown her arms out just in time for her palms to hit the mat instead. And to make things better, the resulting impact caused Umbreon to fly up slightly, leaving her wide open as the chicken had her legs wrapped around her neck.

"Nice try, but after seeing you in action enough times, I'm not letting you get the drop on me," Scorchicken stated with a smirk before allowing herself to fall forward and plant Umbreon's skull into the canvas, keeping a tight grip and adding, "As I said before, I couldn't have asked for a better opponent. But that's doesn't mean I'm just gonna let you walk all over me. My dream has been to win the Olympics, and I'm gonna do that no matter what."

Torchic smiled and said, "I'm really impressed. Even if she doesn't win, the fact that she's performing this well makes me so proud."

However, it looked like Umbreon was prepared when she placed a firm grip against Scorchicken's legs, asking, "Did you already forget I can easily escape from submission holds?" her dark aura covering her arms as she used all her mighty to pry the legs off of her. She then turned around and covered her own legs in the aura, latching them onto Scorchicken's and folding them.

The Thai fans went wild while Yukiko stated, "And Umbreon responds to Scorchicken's figure four headlock with a figure four leglock. And while she can easily get out of holds with her dark powers, can Scorchicken do the same? We all know how much of a hassle it was for her to get out of Bewear's Keratin Submission."

Scorchicken smirked and said, "Unfortunately for you, Umbreon, this is an easy one to get out of," before shifting her body sideways and breaking free from the hold. But when she rose to her feet, it seemed as if Umbreon was more than ready. She propelled herself upward and sent the chicken flying backward with a flying kick.

Afterwards, she leapt toward the chicken and wrapped her arms and legs around her, covering both in her aura and spinning like a drill. And soon enough, Scorchicken's skull made contact with the turnbuckle as Umbreon shouted, "DARK CYCLONE!"

Eevee and her friends cheered wildly, Flareon squealing, "That's my girl!" while Scorchicken coughed up a bit of blood. And much like when she connected her powerbomb, Umbreon had no intention of ending her attack with this. She knew from Scorchicken's match with Bewear just how much punishment she could take, so she knew two of her finishing moves would not be enough to end this.

With that in mind, she backed up slightly and took hold of Scorchicken's ankles. She then lifted her up and leaned backward, setting her up for the same unique suplex she had used on Eevee. She also decided to take it one step further, though, as she continued to hold on and leapt high above the ring.

The crowd watched in amazement while Umbreon flipped the chicken over and rested her knees against the sides of her head. She then wrapped her arms around her and planted the back of her head into the mat, connecting a perfect piledriver while the crowd went wild.

"I thought for sure she was gonna use her new Lunar Crash there," Chespin uttered as Litwick nodded and added, "Yeah. That seemed like a good time to use it."

"I guess maybe she didn't feel Scorchicken was weak enough yet," Eevee suggested, but it seemed like that might not have been the case as the chicken just lay there.

"And with a piledriver, it would seem that Umbreon has knocked Scorchicken out," Metapod stated before Yukiko started the ten count, the Thai fans cheering wildly while the American fans had no doubt in their minds that Scorchicken would recover. After her match with Bewear, there was no way this would be enough to defeat her.

Umbreon, however, thought the same thing Eevee did and held her ground. But when Yukiko made it as far as seven seconds, she blinked and thought, 'Is that really-?'

Her train of thought was cut off when Scorchicken smirked and said, "Gotcha," before propelling herself high into the air and sending a hard kick into Umbreon's chin. This sent her flying into the air thus leaving her unable to react when the chicken landed on her hands and pushed herself up once more. This time, both her feet were aflame and in the form of a phoenix head as she shouted, "PHOENIX VOLCANO!"

Umbreon's eyes widened before she covered her entire body in a dark aura. But even with that, she still took in considerable pain when she the attack hit her gut. She and everyone else were especially shocked when she coughed up a bit of blood, Scorchicken taking hold of her ears and lifting herself up.

The American fans were beyond ecstatic as Scorchicken was now behind Umbreon. And thanks to the pain dealt earlier, the black fox's aura vanished, thus leaving her vulnerable. With that, the chicken shouted, "BLAZE KICK!" and sent her feet hard into her back.

Eevee and her friends watched in horror while Umbreon descended and her chin hit the canvas. Now it seemed she was out cold as Scorchicken smirked and said, "After Eevee used that on you, I wasn't sure if you'd fall for it again, so I figured I may as well take my chances and stretch it out a little bit longer."

Needless to say, everyone was truly amazed by this while Yukiko started the ten count once again. Torchic gave her daughter a round of applause while Lycanroc uttered, "Seems like she took a page from your book, eh, Eevee?"

The brown fox nodded and sighed, "I just really hope that wasn't enough to end it," and it seemed so as right when six seconds were reached, Umbreon pushed herself up, though she was breathing rather heavily now. She would definitely need to come up with some way to end this more quickly.

Eevee let out a sigh of relief and said, "I knew she'd recover," Crabrawler nodding and replying, "Yeah. She really is incredible, isn't she?"

Scorchicken narrowed her eyelids and thought, 'I guess it only makes sense. After all she took in from Eevee, of course she'd get up from that. I just need to keep at it.'

Umbreon, however, thought about what move to use next. But after much consideration, she wasted no time racing forward. Seeing this, Scorchicken immediately lit her hands and feet on fire and grunted, "Don't think for a minute that I'll let you get the advantage back!"

Umbreon nodded and covered her entire body in darkness, both fighters sending a barrage of punches and kicks toward one-another. The crowd was beyond excited since each time their attacks collided, it resulted in a small explosion. But after a while, the black fox saw an opening and sent a hard punch into Scorchicken's cheek, her eyes wide with shock as she dropped her guard.

The area went silent while Umbreon placed a firm grip on Scorchicken's shoulders and hurled her high into the air. She then leapt up toward her level and latched onto her neck with her legs. Finally, she leaned forward as Eevee's eyes sparkled. She knew exactly what was coming and there was no doubt in her mind this would put an end to the match for sure.

Just as everyone expected, Umbreon took hold of Scorchicken's legs and flipped one hundred and eighty degrees, bending her back slightly and aiming her face toward the canvas. But while the two descended, the chicken refused to let it end here. As such, she lit her beak on fire and shouted, "FIRE PECK!"

Soon enough, her face made contact with the surface as a cloud of smoke surrounded the two. Yukiko's eyes widened and she gasped, "This could very well be the shortest final match in Hero Olympics history, folks, as Umbreon lands the very move that defeated Eevee! Has Scorchicken met the same fate or was her Fire Peck enough to prevent her downfall!?"

Torchic bit the lower half of her beak and uttered, "I hope she's okay," Machop nodding and groaning, "Isamu and I both saw how devastating this move is, but seeing it up close is a whole other thing."

Eevee, meanwhile, beamed and said, "That had to have ended it," Lycanroc nodding and sighing, "I have to admit, your sister really is something else."

When the smoke cleared, the area went silent. It seemed as if Scorchicken's Fire Peck cushioned the blow just enough as she stood upright on her beak. There was a slight bit of blood trickling from her nostrils, but otherwise, she seemed fine.

Umbreon was far too shocked, thus she instinctively released her hold. And this was all the chicken needed to send both of her feet into her chin, sending her flying once more.

The American fans cheered wildly while Scorchicken leapt high into the air and rammed her skull into Umbreon's legs. As a result, the black fox flipped over until her head was facing the mat. And with her set up, the chicken leaned backward and wrapped her arms around her, saying, "It's risky for a Torch to use this, but I'm feeling lucky."

A large fire then engulfed both of them as she shouted, "ASTEROID SUPLEX!" ramming the back of Umbreon's head into the mat and causing her to cough up a fairly large amount of blood.

Caterpie's eyes widened while he uttered, "No way," the others equally shocked by this. And when Scorchicken released her hold and allowed Umbreon to collapse, Yukiko wasted no time and started the ten count.

Flareon's eye twitched while Chanchai watched with concern. Torchic, on the other hand, could not have been happier to have seen such an amazing comeback.

Scorchicken watched Umbreon closely to make sure she did not catch her off guard again. After all, she had used up quite a bit of energy by using an advanced slam move. If this did not end the match for good, her odds of winning would be lower than if she had used one of her other signature moves.

However, no one, not even the American fans, could believe it when Yukiko reached ten seconds. As such, she rang the bell and announced, "We have a new record, folks! Today marks the shortest final match in the Hero Olympics as Scorchicken is now the world champion!"

Even Scorchicken needed a few seconds to process this. As much as she wanted to win, she could not believe it had taken her less than a half-hour to do so. Umbreon had proven herself a huge force to be reckoned with and yet she had been defeated in record time.

Once the shock subsided, the American crowd went wild, one member shouting, "Way to go, Scorchicken!" another adding, "That was incredible!"

The Japanese crowd soon joined in. As much as they all liked Umbreon, they also felt like Scorchicken deserved their applause. And of course, Caterpie and Lycanroc clapped for her, the caterpillar saying, "Sorry, Eevee. I know you're probably upset, but, well, Scorchicken's also our friend."

The brown fox nodded and said nothing, Flareon growling, "Come on, ref! That was not ten seconds! What the hell kinda watch are you using!?" Chanchai face-palming and sighing, "Please, dear, you're acting like a child."

Torchic had a big grin on her face as she let down light tears and sniffed, "I bet Mother is especially happy to see this," Venipede nodding and replying, "No kidding. Not only is she a champion, but she broke the record for the fastest victory. That's no small feat."

At that moment, the five special guests rose up from their seats and bowed their heads, Chesnaught whispering, "How cool was that?" as Gallador nodded and replied, "I know. It's so awesome we got to literally see that up close."

After a few seconds, Umbreon slowly opened her eyes and sat herself upright, Eevee gasping when she smiled and said, "Congratulations, Scorchicken."

The chicken turned to face her before she bowed her head and said, "You were an incredible opponent. If there was any opponent to lose to first, I'm glad it was you," as Scorchicken beamed and replied, "Well, you came really close. I'm glad I had this opportunity."

With all said and done, Scorchicken helped Umbreon up and shook her hand, the area erupting with more cheers and applause. Even the Thai fans could not help but feel good about this as Metapod let down tears and sniffed, "No matter how many times this happens, it's always so nice."

Caterpie and Lycanroc cheered loudly while Chespin and Litwick both started up a slow clap. However, they sped it up when Noivern joined in, Popplio also clapping his flippers together. And soon enough, Eevee nodded and squealed, "That was awesome, you two!" before joining into the cheers and applause. After all, it would have been terrible sportsmanship to boo Scorchicken, especially since she did not deserve any disrespect from the fox or her friends.

Seeing her own daughter being a good sport about this, Flareon took a deep breath and sighed, "Well, I guess it could have been worse. She could have lost to Bewear," Chanchai nodding and replying, "Exactly. This is the better result."

With that, Metapod rose up with the championship belt in hand and approached the ring. And once he entered it, he smiled and held out the golden object, saying, "Congratulations, Scorchicken. You're the first member of the Torch family to be world champion," the chicken grinning and accepting it. She then held it aloft and let out a loud battle cry, everyone giving one last cheer.

Umbreon patted the chicken on the shoulder and said, "Maybe we'll get to fight again someday."

Scorchicken turned to her and replied, "I'd like that," the two pounding their fists together. Needless to say, the Hero Olympics had certainly been successful. And as much as most of the audience would have loved to have seen more, it would soon be time for all of them to head back to their home countries. In the end, they were just glad to have witnessed this, especially since it had been so long since the last one.


	68. Chapter 68

With the Hero Olympics finally at a close, Eevee and the others decided to head out to the club to celebrate all that had happened. And while none of Tokyo's heroes won the championship, they all felt like they had done a great job. But this also seemed like a good time for the rest of the group to get to know Scorchicken seeing as Caterpie and Lycanroc had done so before them.

As such, she had been invited to join them as everyone had a round of drinks, Eevee exclaiming, "A toast to awesomeness!" the others nodding and clinking their glasses together.

Scorchicken took a sip of some whisky and said, "Thanks so much, guys. I barely know any of you and yet here you are inviting me to your celebration party."

Chespin shrugged and replied, "True, but you seem cool. I think it'd be awesome to add you to our circle of friends," the chicken smiling wide while he added, "Besides, any friend of Caterpie and Lycanroc's is a friend of ours."

Caterpie nodded while the chicken uttered, "I still wonder about that. After the beat-down I gave you, why do you consider me a friend?" the caterpillar replying, "I dunno, I guess it just felt right, you know. So far, you're the only opponent I've had whose treated me with respect from the get-go."

The others nodded before Litwick added, "Besides, I think you're pretty cool," Noivern adding, "Yeah, certainly a great first opponent even if I really was hoping I'd get a chance to face Eevee in a rematch."

"The important thing is that you're a great addition to our circle of copains," Popplio stated as everyone nodded and decided to have some fun.

Umbreon spotted the pool tables and asked, "So, Scorchicken, you wanna face me in a game of pool? I might actually beat you at this," the chicken smirking and remarking, "Bring it on."

When the two headed to the table, Crabrawler got up and went over to watch. He also agreed to face the winner, though a part of him was expecting to lose.

Caterpie and Lycanroc decided to sing a duet with the karaoke machine, and needless to say, the guests were all amazed by their harmony. Chespin and Litwick had agreed to go next, though they did not get quite the same reception. While Litwick's singing voice was passable at best, Chespin's was far too high-pitched and disjointed. But even so, the candle did not seem to have a problem with this at all since she was having too much fun, Noivern giving her a pity clap to make sure she stayed happy.

Eevee and Popplio, however, were much more content sitting down and enjoying their drinks. The seal nudged the fox and asked, "Would you like to go and cheer on your sister?"

"Honestly, after so much cheering and tension, I'd rather take a load off," Eevee sighed, "I may not have won, but on the whole, it was just awesome competing. And in the end, I'm really happy for Scorchicken. She really wanted that."

Popplio beamed and said, "You've really matured since we met in Hero School. I'm just glad Umbreon really did see that sooner than we thought. I prefer this much nicer side to her."

"Nice or not, I'm just glad to have my sister back," Eevee sighed with a light smile, the two finishing off their drinks.

Shortly afterwards, everyone was headed to their respective homes. Eevee and Umbreon would use the evening to spend time with their parents before they had to depart and Scorchicken intended to do the same with her mother. And of course, Chespin and Litwick planned on hanging out with Chesnaught as long as he was still around.

In the end, the day had been successful for everyone. With the Olympics behind them, they could go back to their casual lives while still training an hour a day in case a new threat reared its head. Little did they know just how soon that would happen.

Around six o'clock, Popplio had come over to Eevee's place to help her prepare a big gourmet meal for her family. And once they saw what the two had prepared, they could not believe their eyes. They had made fried rice with crab meat, udon, sukiyaki and yakitori.

"Oh my god, I feel like I'm eating at a five-star restaurant for free," Flareon said with drool coming from her mouth, Chanchai nodding and adding, "I know. Thanks so much for motivating our little girl to learn how to cook, Popplio."

"Well, honestly, I wasn't expecting her to actually do it," the seal replied with a laugh.

With that, they all cupped their hands together and said, "Thanks for the food," before digging in. And needless to say, it was all incredible. Had Umbreon not always been so proper, she would have wolfed it all down in seconds and immediately helped herself to more.

Though after taking a bite of chicken, she turned to Popplio and said, "By the way, I'd like to thank you too," the seal giving her an odd look until she added, "Not just for, well, giving Eevee a reason to go beyond salad making, but for everything else. She's told me how you were the one who taught her to use strategy in combat. You shaped her into a real hero."

Popplio blushed lightly while Eevee nodded and stated, "She's right. I probably would have spent my life never realizing why I lost to Golisopod if you hadn't given me the kick in the pants I needed. I'd probably have lost a lot more than just three matches in my career if it hadn't been for you."

The seal patted her on the shoulder and sighed, "I'm sure you would have figured it out eventually, but I couldn't sit back and allow that to happen again. Honestly, I have to thank you for actually taking my advice right away instead of letting your depression get the better of you."

Flareon smirked and nudged Chanchai before whispering, "Should we set the mood?" as he shook his head and sighed, "Even if that does happen someday, it's really best that we don't get involved."

Meanwhile, Scorchicken went out for dinner with Torchic treating her, saying, "I just really wish your father could have come with me. Then we could have the whole family together," the younger chicken nodding and sighing, "Still, this is fine. I just wish all these people would stop staring at me."

She then looked around at all of her admirers when Torchic replied, "Now that you're world champion, you'll have to deal with that a lot. You'll even have to make a few appearances on the news. It was the same case with Machop when she won the Olympics."

Scorchicken smirked and replied, "Well, I guess that is the price for fame. May as well enjoy it."

The rest of the evening went by perfectly. And it was not long until the next day came and everyone except for Tokyo's heroes had to return to their homes. Of course, Eevee and her friends went to see all of them off at the airport.

Flareon gave her and Umbreon a big hug and squealed, "This has been such a fun week! You two make me so proud! Promise me you'll continue to kick ass and take names!"

Eevee grinned and replied, "But of course," Umbreon bowing her head while Chanchai gave each one an individual hug.

Meanwhile, Chespin and Chesnaught shook hands as the armadillo said, "It was really nice seeing you, son. You may not have made it into the tournament, but you still make me proud. I'm glad you decided to join the side of good."

The chipmunk nodded and waved before he went to board the plane to Spain. He then let out a sigh and turned to face Litwick who, along with Noivern, had just given Lycanroc a big goodbye. And soon enough, both of them approached one-another as Litwick smiled lightly and said, "I'll always think of you," her flame once again growing in size.

Chespin nodded and replied, "Same here. At the very least, we can always message each other."

With that, both shared a compassionate kiss. However, it soon came to an end when a bit of wax touched the chipmunk's lips. As such, he winced in pain before laughing nervously, the candle's flame growing even more while she placed her hands against her cheeks.

Noivern shook his head and sighed, "I hope to see you again sometime, Lycanroc," as he held out his fist, the wolf pounding it and replying, "I'm sure you will. It was awesome seeing you again, man."

Caterpie nodded and said, "Maybe someday, we'll stop by for a visit. Tokyo has been pretty peaceful lately, so who knows?"

Scorchicken was also headed toward a plane with Torchic about to take the other one. Both nodded at one-another, though the younger chicken took a little bit more time to give her new friends a nice goodbye. With the championship belt and them in her life, she could not have asked for more to have come from the Olympics.

Of course, there was one last person to take care of as Caterpie said, "I'd love to stick around longer, but I'd probably better head to the space station. Dad should be off real soon," Lycanroc nodding and replying, "Alright. I'll meet you back home," the caterpillar bowing his head and heading off.

Eevee let out a sigh and said, "I can't believe it's over. There was a lot of drama, but I had fun this week," before turning to Umbreon and Crabrawler and adding, "I guess you'll be headed to the subway station soon, eh?"

Umbreon nodded and replied, "Yes, but luckily, we'll be close by."

"See you around," Crabrawler added with a grin, "I just know Tokyo's in great hands with you guys around," Eevee beaming with pride while Umbreon rolled her eyes.

Just as the duo was about to head off, though, the black fox gave her sister one last hug and said, "I know I've said this a lot, but you've made me so proud of you sis. I, too, think Tokyo's safe with you around. But if you ever find yourself in a bind, I'll be there to help you out, alright?"

"Well, you haven't had to bail us out since the Golisopod incident, but that's good," Eevee replied with a grin, "And hopefully, if it does happen again, it won't feel like you just wasted your time coming all the way to Tokyo."

With that, the two shared a good laugh. And soon enough, it was time for Umbreon and Crabrawler to take their leave. After all, Osaka still needed them around, and now that the crab finally had a fighting style that worked for him, he was sure to do an even better job than before.

The rest of the month seemed to fly by as back in Maui, Mapin had just finished a training session with all four members of the Tapu family. Koko folded his arms and said, "There, you are ready to return to Tokyo. But first, you must answer me this one question. What will you do once you're back?"

Mapin took a deep breath and narrowed her eyelids, growling, "First, I'll get revenge on my so-called friends and then I'll get revenge on all of Tokyo! Never again will they mock me for not living up to the family name!"

Koko smiled and replied, "Good," while Bulu uttered, "Wow, she's my idol now. I can't wait to start busting some heads in for real," Lele sighing, "I just hope there won't have to be too many casualties."

"Well, as long as the citizens cooperate with us, there won't," Fini replied, "Now pack your bags, kids. We're off to Japan."

During this time, Eevee was in the middle of a collect call with the others. She told them how Machop and Isamu had invited them all over for dinner. And naturally, they were more than up to it.

Once all five arrived, Eevee smiled and said, "I can't remember the last time we came over," as Popplio sighed, "Oui. I think it was before Caterpie joined the group."

The fox shrugged and rang the doorbell, Lycanroc grinning and squealing, "I can't believe we're about to have dinner with Machop!"

Soon enough, the door opened up as the woman in question beamed bright and said, "Good, you're all here. Come on in."

She led everyone to the living room and stated, "Make yourselves comfortable. Isamu's putting the final touches on dinner right now," Popplio nodding and replying, "It smells magnifique."

Caterpie looked around and said, "It's no mansion, but being in the home of such a big time celebrity is nice," as Machop grinned and replied jokingly, "Yeah, I'm pretty awesome, aren't I?"

She then let out a sigh and added, "But seriously, I'm really glad you could all stop by. It's just been, what, five months since Mapin left? I should be used to it by now, but the longer this goes on, the more I worry about her. What if something really bad happened to her? What if she's out on the streets begging for cash or, worse, dead?"

Eevee laughed nervously and uttered, "If there's anything I've learned, it's that anything that happens to a hero is spread quickly. I'm pretty sure if Mapin was dead, we would have heard about it by now."

"But in all seriousness, I, too, hope she really does return someday," Popplio added, "Our team is awesome, but imagine how much better we'll be with her back on the team. If what I've heard about Machoke is anything to go by, she's likely just gone off to train so she can be a more worthy teammate. If anything, she'll be a greater asset to our team."

"That and it'll just be nice to hang out with her again," Eevee sighed, "I still remember back in Hero School how she was one of the few students who actually believed in me. Granted, she didn't seem to realize why I used to suck so much, but she was nice to have around."

Chespin nodded and replied, "I never even got a chance to know her. All I saw was Tsareena beat her with ease. I'd love to at least try to make up for that, you know, since I used to work for her."

Machop smiled and stated, "Well, with how many villains turn good, I'm sure she'll be happy with that. How many enemies did I make friends with again?" before Isamu blinked and replied, "That's a good question. You and the others had a knack for doing that."

Eevee and the others looked at one-another and smiled. It seemed as if they had something in common with Machop. Not only that, but it was also refreshing to see her start to cheer up. Though now they could not help but hope their theory was correct.

Soon enough, dinner was over and it was time for everyone to head home, Machop saying, "See you guys," Caterpie replying, "Any time. Maybe next time, you can come over to my place and I'll have the staff whip you up something."

Machop blinked and uttered, "Oh yeah, I forgot he's rich," as Isamu rolled his eyes and kissed her on the cheek, saying, "True, but he doesn't cook his own meals."

All the while, Eevee walked home with Popplio and sighed, "As much as it pains me to admit it, I am starting to really wonder if Mapin does plan to return here. Who knows? Maybe she's decided to stay in Hawaii and protect them. At least that way, they're in good hands, right?"

Popplio nodded and replied, "Oui, but if that was the case, we'd see news reports about that too. One random hero helping out whoever else is assigned to an area is one thing, but a member of the Mach family would catch everyone's attention. I may have sounded positive during dinner, but I'm not so sure how valid my words were."

The fox took a deep breath, crickets chirping as her eyes shifted back and forth. What could she possibly say to break this awkward moment?

She then thought of something, smiled and stated, "Well, at the very least, we've done a really good job taking care of Tokyo, you know? When was the last time someone tried to take over?" as Popplio nodded and smiled lightly.

Soon enough, they reached his house before he waved and said, "See you tomorrow, mon ami," Eevee replying, "Goodnight," and heading off toward her own house.

Upon arrival, she decided to get in some training. Afterwards, she headed to a computer she had purchased a few months ago and turned it on. She opened up the internet and looked for any information she could find on Mapin. For all she knew, the girl might very well have been in the news, but it might not have been shown in Japan.

All she could find was information regarding her first couple of matches on Earth and her connection to Machop. Otherwise, there was one news report about the day she arrived in Hawaii and that was it. It seemed as if no one had seen her since.

"I wonder if something really did happen to her," the fox uttered before letting out a sigh. She then shook her head and grunted, "No, don't think like that! Mapin's strong! She's probably just been training super hard in secret! That's gotta be it!"

She then put the computer to sleep and headed off to bed. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, hoping tomorrow would be more positive.

The next morning, Eevee awoke with a yawn and turned on the TV to the news network. But before she could head to the kitchen to make herself breakfast to enjoy with it, her eyes widened in response to what she saw.

A man sat behind a desk and stated, "We're sorry for the interruption, but a young man in Maui caught something amazing on his cellphone while on the way home from a night shift. As it so happens, Mapin, who has been deemed absent for many months and did not even attempt to defend her family's title in the Hero Olympics, has just been spotted boarding a plane with four strangers. Not only that, but this plane is headed straight for Tokyo. Lord knows where she has been all this time, but we can only guess that she has been training hard for the day when she can rejoin her friends and become a true asset to the team."

Eevee's jaw dropped as she immediately whipped out her cellphone. She then selected the conference call option, and when all of her friends answered, she squealed, "Guys, if you're not already tuned into the news, turn it on right now! You're never gonna believe this!"

Soon enough, a message was sent to Machop and Isamu seeing as Eevee and her friends had her on their contacts list. And needless to say, they could not have been happier. In only a few hours, they would finally see their daughter again.

Once the estimated time arrived, Eevee and her friends were all gathered at the airport. Machop and Isamu also arrived, both beyond excited to see Mapin. They had so much planned, including a nice dinner prepared by them. Though Chespin would likely need a new place to live seeing as the shack did not seem like it was made for two people.

"I just heard it this morning and I still can't believe it," Lycanroc uttered, "I'm finally going to meet Mapin," as Caterpie nodded and replied, "Same here."

Soon enough, an announcement was made that a flight from Maui had arrived. Suddenly, a news crew entered the area while Machop blinked and uttered, "I was wondering when they'd show up," Chespin sighing, "It's like you said, Popplio. Anything concerning the Mach family is newsworthy.

"Attention, people of Tokyo," a young woman stated, "I am here live at the airport where a flight from Maui has just arrived. It is believed that this is the plane Mapin took, so she should enter the area very soon."

After a few seconds, everyone saw that their assumptions were correct. Machop's eyes sparkled while Mapin stood tall and proud. However, her arms were folded and her eyes were narrowed, the others trying to think little of it.

"Oh my god, Mapin!" Eevee squealed, the reporter exclaiming, "Do you see this, folks!? After more than five months, Mapin has finally returned to Tokyo!"

Popplio joined Eevee as the two ran toward toward their old friend. But when they were ready to hold her in a tight embrace, their eyes widened when the girl threw out her top arms and placed a tight grip on their necks. She then leapt forward and planted them into the floor, shouting, "Now we see who the real powerhouse is!"

Caterpie, Lycanroc and Chespin gasped as Machop blinked and uttered, "Mapin, why did you-?" only for the girl to cut in and retort, "You all misunderstand! I didn't come here to rejoin the group! I came for vengeance!"

Needless to say, everyone was beyond confused. And things only got more questionable when the Tapu family entered the area, Koko saying, "Sorry to tell you this, but Mapin's our ally now."


	69. Chapter 69

Eevee and Popplio had just recovered from being slammed into the floor by Mapin. But why did she attack them and who were these four beings with her? And what did the rooster mean when he said the girl was their ally?

Caterpie tried to think little of it as he cleared his throat and uttered, "Hello, Miss Mapin. It is a pleasure to meet you. I'm Caterpie, the son of-"

"Yeah, I know who you are," Mapin retorted, "I couldn't care less what your position is! The only thing that matters is that you were sent to replace me! Or were the news articles lying about that!?"

The caterpillar stared in stunned silence when Lycanroc remarked, "Hey, what was Hero Planet supposed to do, let Popplio and Eevee defend Tokyo alone!?" Chespin not even saying anything. With Mapin's current mood, he had a funny feeling she would not want to talk to him.

"I don't see why not," the girl grunted, "After all, lots of areas only have two heroes, and yet from what I've heard, Tokyo now has five. I guess you don't need me anymore, do you!?"

Machop trembled and uttered, "What are you saying?" Isamu barking, "Mapin, you're being ridiculous! Do you know how much we all missed you!? Just yesterday, Popplio was talking about how awesome it would be for you to rejoin the team!"

"Why, so you can upstage me more!?" Mapin barked, Popplio gasping, "Where is this coming from!?"

"You know exactly where this is coming from," Fini quipped, everyone facing her while she continued, "We heard all about it, how much better things got in Tokyo after Mapin left, the way she was replaced so quickly and the way everyone has been giving Eevee the treatment she so rightfully deserves."

"Yeah, and you couldn't just leave it at one new ally," Bulu added, "You had to get two more!" Chespin retorting, "For your information, we volunteered to help out!"

"Why?" Mapin remarked, "So you could convince the entire world that you're not a monster!? I have no doubt you guys missed me, but you knew exactly where I'd gone and yet you didn't even come looking for me. Instead, you continued to fight evil and made a name for yourselves, claiming all of Tokyo's attention for yourself!"

Eevee and her friends had no idea what else to say. However, Isamu did as he narrowed his eyelids and growled, "Mapin, you're acting like a child! Lycanroc has a point! What the hell was anyone supposed to do, just sit back and let evil take over!? If they hadn't stuck around, that would have happened!"

Mapin stopped briefly with her eyes wide open. She had to admit that her father had a point. But just as it seemed like she realized her mistake before it was too late, Koko grunted, "That's hardly an excuse," the girl facing him while he added, "You could have left your three newcomers behind while Eevee and Popplio went to Maui. Besides, we've heard that things have been really peaceful in Tokyo since Palossand and his group were dealt with. Any of you could have at least stopped by for a visit during that time, but you didn't even make the effort."

Mapin blinked and nodded when Machop scowled and pointed at Koko, barking, "I see what's going on! You've brainwashed our daughter, haven't you!?" only for the girl to hold up her hand and retort, "No, Mom! All they did was shape me into a real fighter! My reason for coming here was my choice! Tapu Koko suggested it, but he didn't force me to agree. I did that on my own."

"So Tapu Koko is your name," Eevee growled as the rooster nodded and replied, "I prefer Koko for short. And this here is my family."

The other three introduced themselves before Popplio sighed, "Look, Mapin, do you seriously believe the bile that Koko has told you? Do you honestly think all of Tokyo has forgotten you!?"

Mapin nodded and grunted, "Of course I do. Something I learned from my first two losses is that the world is a judgemental place. All my life, I have had all this pressure put on me all because of my lineage. Everyone expected me to be just as good as my mom, and when you and Eevee wound up being just that, everyone started talking about you while pretending I didn't exist! As such, I feel that this world is not worth saving!"

Machop's eyes and mouth were wide with horror while she shook her head and backed up. Isamu took hold of her shoulders and let down light tears, not sure what else to say. It really seemed as if Mapin had made up her mind.

Fini nodded at Koko who folded his arms and stated, "Our plan is to take over Tokyo followed by the rest of the world, but we prefer to play this fairly like everyone else. As such, we challenge all five of you to one-on-one fights starting tomorrow morning," pointing at Eevee and her friends, the fox frowning as he added, "Each match will be held in a different location and they will all take place at the same time. If all five of you lose, Tokyo is ours for the keeping."

Eevee narrowed her eyelids, not sure whether to agree to this or not. On one hand, it was her job to keep Tokyo safe, but on the other hand, Mapin would be among the five opponents. She was not sure if she could go through with this, and the others felt exactly the same.

However, after a few seconds, Chespin frowned and grunted, "I can't believe you, Mapin. I may have served evil once, but I came around when I realized my view of the world was wrong. And yet here you are, serving the side of evil. Well, if you're gonna be a villain, then fine, we'll accept your challenge. Isn't that right, guys?"

The others stood still for a while until Caterpie nodded and grunted, "Right! We can't let evil take over no matter what!" Lycanroc sighing, "As much as it hurts to admit it, we don't have much of a choice."

However, Eevee, Machop and even Popplio were not so sure about this. But after a few seconds, the fox took a deep breath and said, "You know they're right, Popplio. We have to do this."

The seal bit his lower lip and nodded his head, a serious look in his eyes as he growled, "You can count on us, guys! We won't let them claim Tokyo!"

Mapin's eyes widened as she uttered, "Wait, Koko, am I really a villain?" the rooster sighing, "It's to be expected that they would see you as such. Anyone who opposes their morals is always seen as the bad guy. You're fighting for a good cause. Meanwhile, they just spent almost a whole month on a silly entertainment that doesn't mean anything at the end of the day. If anything, you are the true hero here."

He had said this quietly enough for the others not to hear. The last thing he wanted was for the girl to question her morals again. And it seemed to work when she nodded and put on a more serious look, growling, "I knew it! I knew even you two couldn't resist standing in my way! As such, we will now reveal the location of each match!"

Chespin narrowed his eyelids as he felt as if he might end up being Machop's opponent due to his allegiance with Tsareena. However, Caterpie feared it might be him due to her obvious grudge against him. But in the end, this was not the case when the girl pointed at him and stated, "You, Caterpie, will face Lele in the Nippara Limestone Cave!"

"Why inside a cave?" the caterpillar uttered as she glared at him thus causing him to tense up and gulp nervously. Lele, however, blushed lightly and said, "It's just really pretty inside, so I thought that would make a good place to fight."

Bulu nodded and pointed at Lycanroc, stating, "I wanna take you on! We'll fight in the Tokyo Racecourse! Racecourses are cool!" the wolf nodding and refusing to question the odd choice.

Chespin felt slightly relieved when Koko turned to him and stated, "As someone who used to serve our side, you fascinate me, so I'll face you. We shall fight at the peak of the nearest mountain."

The chipmunk's confidence only increased as he smiled and thought, 'This is perfect. I can already tell by looking at this guy that he's the oldest of the group. That means he's probably weakened with age, just like the heroes of old. This is gonna be easy.'

Fini smiled at Popplio and stated, "We shall fight at Isshiiki Beach. I have a specific location in mind, but you'll have to see it for yourself tomorrow. I hope you're ready for this because I've heard good things about you."

The seal folded his flippers and retorted, "I'll be ready! Just you wait!"

After a few seconds, reality started to sink in and Eevee's pupils shrank. She then looked back and forth and uttered, "Oh no," Mapin nodding with her arms folded and grunting, "That's right, Eevee! Since you stole my rightful reputation, you're the one I want to take down! And we shall duke it out in the Tokyo Dome for thousands to see!"

Eevee trembled and turned toward Machop. As much as she and Isamu wanted to give Eevee their support, even they were not so sure about this. This was their daughter they were talking about, and even if she was on the side of evil, how could they bring themselves to cheer against her?

Even so, the fox knew she had little choice and sighed, "Alright, fine. We'll do it your way. But mark my words, I'm not the rash weakling I used to be, so you'd better watch out," though deep down, she was not sure in the slightest if she could back up those words.

Even so, Koko looked satisfied as he said, "Well, that settles that. I look forward to our match tomorrow, Chespin," the chipmunk lowering his eyelid and retorting, "You won't be so confident when it's over!"

The heroes watched as Mapin and the Tapu family left the area, the reporter stating, "And you heard it yourself, folks. Mapin has joined the side of evil, and to make matters worse, she and her new allies plan to take over Tokyo followed by the world itself. Can our heroes save us once again or have they truly met their match?"

Eevee tensed up and whimpered, "Popplio, I don't think I can go through with this. I mean, I was able to face Cyndaquil in the end, but the only thing at stake there was a spot in the Olympics. I just don't know if I can go through with this."

"I know what you're going through," the seal sighed, "And to be honest, if she had chosen moi, I'm not sure if I could have done it either. But we're talking about the world here. We can't just let them win."

"Besides, if you win, it might snap her back to reality," Chespin suggested as Eevee nodded and replied, "Yeah, you're right. Maybe all she needs is to be put in her place. And even if that doesn't work, it's better than letting her tarnish the Mach family name and enslave humanity."

Lycanroc rested a paw on her shoulder and smiled sweetly. The others nodded as well, Machop taking a deep breath and giving Eevee a light smile of her own. Isamu nodded his head, knowing this really was the right thing to do. As much as it pained them to see this after their daughter finally returned, this was reality and they had to accept it.

With all said and done, the heroes headed off as Popplio asked, "Want to spar, Eevee? It's been a while," the fox nodding and replying, "Yeah. I could use it."

Lycanroc and Caterpie both intended to do the same while Chespin was off to train on his own. No matter what the circumstances were, they would be ready for this.

Mapin and the Tapu family, meanwhile, headed toward a cave to rest up. After all of the girl's improvements, Koko did not feel like she needed to train. However, he noticed a look of doubt on her face once again.

"You're doing the right thing," he said before patting her on the shoulder, "You now know the reason why those the people call villains exist. They all think they're fighting for a good cause, but they're protecting folks who don't deserve it. Once we rule this world, those who put pressure on others or look down upon them will pay. Those people you once called friends only respected you because they thought you could also protect them from us."

"He's right," Fini added, "It is painful to admit, but we, too, had many people in our lives who we thought respected us. In the end, it was all a lie. The minute they found out we weren't perfect, they turned against us, so we had no choice but to hide in a cave forever, waiting for someone like you to help us."

Lele nodded and sighed, "As much as I hate hurting others, it's the only way I can finally live in a world that won't judge me if I mess up," Bulu adding, "Me too."

Just the fact that they knew exactly what she was going through was all Mapin needed. Now there was no way she would ever doubt her mission again. The whole world was going to pay for the way it built up her expectations only to let them crash and burn.

Eevee was in the middle of sparring with Popplio when he leapt at her and swung his tail toward her. Just as she was about to retaliate, she tensed up when she imagined Mapin doing that in a more serious fight. As such, she froze in her tracks and took the blow to her face.

Popplio blinked and uttered, "Are you alright, mon ami?" the fox rubbing her face and groaning, "No, not really."

The seal took a deep breath and said, "Look, Eevee, you'll need to be ready tomorrow. I hate that we have to do this, I really do, but this is to save the lives of millions. As painful as it is, you'll have to remind yourself that Mapin is evil now. Don't forget, she might return to us if you win."

The fox nodded and sighed, "Okay," before shaking her head and holding up a defensive stance, barking, "Alright, bring it on!" Popplio grinning and going back on the offensive.

The time seemed to fly by as soon eight AM rolled around and it was finally time for the heroes to take on this new threat. They headed to the locations assigned to them with many people having woken up super early to get there before them.

Caterpie walked deep into Nippara Limestone Cave, looking around and saying, "Well, that pink girl was right. It is nice and shiny in here," before noticing a ring with bleachers around it, his audience surprisingly big as he thought, 'Right, I actually have a decent reputation now.'

All the while, Lele was already in the ring. She took a deep breath and put on a more serious look. As much as she wanted to win, it was as she said. She hated having to fight for her goal, and Caterpie could sense this the second he saw how much she had forced that look. As such, he figured maybe he could win this without having to beat her in combat.

At the Tokyo Racecourse, Lycanroc arrived to see Bulu sharpening his horns with a rock. The bleachers were already provided, so many were seated there. Had this been the only match, all of the chairs would have been filled, but that hardly mattered. Lycanroc was just glad to have some support.

The ring was located right in the center, and she wasted no time leaping into it and saying, "Alright, Bulu, I'm ready for this," the bull turning to her and grunting, "Oh yeah! I've been waiting for this! Finally, I can show the world how badass I am!"

Popplio arrived at the beach but did not see a ring or Fini. However, he was shocked when a school of fish came together and formed a big arrow pointed straight ahead. And he soon noticed exactly what they meant when he looked in that very direction and noticed a small island with a cave that had not been there before.

As such, he dove into the water and swam toward this new location. And when he entered, he had to admit that it was rather nice. But of course, the main attraction was the ring located in the middle of the area with a small number of bleachers set up. And the seal could see why as only fourteen people had shown up, all of them soaking wet and dressed in swimwear.

Popplio turned toward Fini, who was already in the ring, and enquired, "You couldn't give them an easier way to get here? No wonder barely anyone came to see us fight," Fini folding her arms and retorting, "That hardly seems important."

The seal had to admit that she had a point. Right now, all that really mattered was Tokyo's freedom. Even though it had been a long time since he last fought a villain, he knew he could do this.

Chespin, meanwhile, had walked all the way up a mountain as he groaned, "I got up early for this?" panting heavily. But when he reached the highest peak, he started to shiver and utter, "Why did he have to pick a mountain of all places? It's cold as Hell up here."

He then arrived at the area where the ring and bleachers were located, Koko folding his arms and saying, "Nice of you to show up bright and early. But did you actually walk the whole way? I hired a tour bus to bring you up here so you wouldn't have to tire yourself out."

The chipmunk's jaw dropped, his eye twitching as the rooster added, "Though he was also supposed to arrive at seven thirty, so I guess if you got here too early, you might have missed that."

Chespin narrowed his eyelids and growled, "You're despicable," before climbing into the ring, the crowd beyond excited to see him save the day after so long."

Finally, Eevee had taken a bus to the Tokyo Dome. She took a deep breath and thought, 'Remember what Popplio told you. You can do this,' and so she stepped foot in the area while Mapin smirked with her arms folded and said, "Nice of you to show up, and right on time no less."

Machop and Isamu sat in the crowd, though right now, they could not bring themselves to even give Eevee a light cheer. Once again, they felt bad about the very idea of cheering against their own daughter, regardless of what she was doing.

Yukiko also sat behind a desk and stated, "Alright, folks, we are here bright and early in the Tokyo Dome to witness something truly incredible. Mapin has returned, but now she fights for the side of evil and it's up to Eevee to stop her. Can she do it, folks?"

Eevee noticed many people cheering for her and sighed, stepping forward and growling, "Alright, Mapin, you may have been our friend once, but that doesn't mean I'm not gonna save these people from you and your new friends!"

Mapin rolled her eyes and sighed, "I expected you to say something like that. I'll give you five minutes to prepare an entrance, then-"

"Wait!" came a familiar voice as everyone gasped and turned to the entrance. Standing right there was Umbreon while she took many deep breaths, Eevee staring in shock. The black fox marched forward before turning toward her sister and sighing, "Good, I made it here right on time."

"Wait, did you come all the way here just to see me fight?" Eevee uttered, Mapin smirking and saying, "Well, I certainly wouldn't mind that. You'll get front-row seats to your sister's forth loss."

However, this did not seem to be the case when Umbreon sighed, "No, that's not why I came. I heard about your challenge yesterday and came all the way here to fight you myself."

The crowd gasped upon hearing this while Eevee snapped, "What!?" only to notice Mapin stroke her chin and state, "You know, I wanted this all to be over in just one match, but you know what? I don't think Koko would mind me taking this. If I beat you, the one who defeated Eevee at her best, then my first official victory on Earth will be even more impressive. Besides, I was gonna come to Osaka to challenge you afterwards anyway, so this saves me time."

Umbreon narrowed her eyelids and thought, 'I knew it,' as Eevee whimpered, "Are you just doing this because you don't think I can do it?"

The black fox shook her head and replied, "No. I know that you can stand up to Mapin. This is more personal. I feel like I have to be the one to put her in her place. Does that make sense?"

Eevee was about to protest until she saw just how serious and sincere her sister was. With that in mind, she nodded and held up her fist, the black fox smiling and pounding it with her own. It was already convenient enough that Mapin had accepted her challenge and there was no way she would let this go.

"Well, folks, you heard it yourselves," Yukiko stated, "Umbreon has come to take Eevee's place. But will she be able to defeat Mapin or will Eevee have to take her place soon?" the crowd cheering wildly.

In the cave at the beach, Fini smiled wickedly at Popplio and said, "I've been looking forward to this. I've heard all about your reputation, how your track record is almost as impressive as Eevee's."

But just as Popplio held up a defensive stance, he was shocked when a familiar British voice entered the area and spat, "Too bad I'm gonna have to disappoint you!" the seal and audience shocked when a certain coconut crab leapt into the area from outside and aimed a punch toward Fini's face.

Upon seeing this, the mermaid immediately tucked herself into her shell. As such, when Crabrawler sent his fist forward, he wound up hitting the spike as his claw came open slightly. He winced in response and leapt back before Fini emerged from her shell and growled, "What is the meaning of this!? This is supposed to be one-on-one!"

"Oui, that's a good question," Popplio uttered, Crabrawler nodding and sighing, "Sorry, but you guys have already done a lot for Tokyo. Umbreon's here to face Mapin and I figured I may as well help out. So what do you say, Miss Mermaid? Would you rather take me on?"

Fini looked irritated at first, but after a few seconds, she folded her arms and sighed, "You know what? Why not? You seem like a good warmup. Also, the name's Tapu Fini, but you can just call me Fini."

Popplio stared in shock. But as he was about to protest, just like Eevee had with Umbreon, he could see how serious the crab was about this. As such, he bowed his head and exited the ring, the audience cheering wildly. For whatever reason, they were much more excited to see this.

Meanwhile, on the mountaintop, Chespin was just about to enter the ring, a smirk on his face as he said, "I hope you're ready for the beating of your life."

"I hope you can back that up," Koko remarked when suddenly, a shovel flew into the side of his head, the audience staring in confusion.

Chespin stared in stunned silence as Koko turned toward the crowd and snapped, "ALRIGHT, WHO THREW THAT!?" only for the audience to look around, feeling just as confused as he was. However, that seemed to end when a voice entered the area and exclaimed, "I threw myself at you, man!"

Chespin's eyes and mouth widened with shock while he turned toward the path up the mountain. And sure enough, a large mound of sand shifted toward the ring, soon reuniting with the shovel to form a familiar sand castle with yellow dots for eyes. No one could believe what they had just seen while the castle folded his arms.

"Palossand?" Chespin uttered, "What the hell are you doing here!? Are you here to make things worse!?"

"No, man," Palossand replied with a light smile, "Eevee showed me that the world was not as cruel as I thought it was. Because of that, I feel like I owe her and you guys for all the trouble I put you through. As such, my friends and I have come to help you out in your time of need."

"Wait, you mean the others are here too?" Chespin uttered as the castle nodded. As much as this frustrated Koko, after getting hit in the face, he felt like he had to take down Palossand first. As such, he figured he may as well accept this. He was certain he could end it quickly anyway.

It seemed that Palossand's words were true as just when Lycanroc was about to enter the ring to fight Bulu, the black and purple salamander, Salazzle leapt seemingly out of nowhere toward him and rammed her tail into his face. To make things better, her tail had turned red and was emitting steam while she smirked and folded her arms, saying, "Lycanroc's done enough for Tokyo already. It's time to make up for my past sins."

The wolf's jaw dropped as the audience stared in confusion, Bulu fuming and growling, "How dare you interrupt my real match! Once I take you down, Lycanroc will join you!"

And finally, just as Caterpie and Lele were about to face off, both of them went wide-eyed when they felt the area start to vibrate. Soon enough, they saw why when a certain turtle with a mouth like an anteater stomped into the area. Both looked scared as Caterpie gulped and uttered, "Oh no, as if things couldn't possibly get any worse."

"Relax," Turtonator remarked, "Palossand has decided to join the side of good, and honestly, I think he might be right. As such, I've come to help," the caterpillar blinking before the turtle added, "You take a breather, alright? I got this."

Now Lele was scared. Caterpie may have had an okay reputation thanks to his victory over Kommo-o, but at least he was slightly shorter than her. Turtonator, on the other hand, was huge and frightening.

But would the Tapu family and Mapin have a harder time with these new opponents or were they only delaying the inevitable? Only time would tell.


	70. Chapter 70

Note: In case anyone's confused by how little progress is made while other fights go on, basically, every time I switch to another match, I'm reversing time to what was happening in that location during all the others.

Things seemed to have gotten better for Tokyo. Just as Eevee and her friends were about to fight five very powerful adversaries, Umbreon, Crabrawler and those who were still part of Palossand's posse had arrived to take over. Whether this would make things easier or not was anyone's guess, but it did at least increase the number of opponents the villains had to deal with.

Currently, Chespin took a seat in the bleachers and folded his arms, sighing, "Dammit, I really wanted to beat this guy. I totally could have done it," the rest of the crowd looking forward to seeing this.

Koko turned to the chipmunk and narrowed his eyelids. And all the while, he thought, 'You'd better pay close attention, Chespin. I could tell right off the bat that you underestimated me because of my age. Once you see me in action, you'll be singing a different tune.'

He then turned to Palossand and stated, "You know, I was going to give you the first move, but I already inadvertently have," and with that, he leapt toward the castle and used his beak-like hands to split his arms in half.

The crowd did not look too alarmed since they remembered what Palossand really was. And sure enough, when his sand hit the canvas, he did not look the least bit alarmed as he said, "Didn't hurt."

With that in mind, he sprouted spikes from the remaining halves of his arms and sent them forward. However, Koko saw this coming and placed the halves of his mask together. Thus when the spikes hit, they dealt no pain to him and split open, the sand once again falling to the mat.

"Is that it?" Koko grunted, "I heard you were one of the biggest threats Eevee ever faced. So far, I'm not impressed," covering himself in electricity and flying forward, shouting, "WILD CHARGE!"

Chespin watched nervously while Palossand was ready. However, his eyes widened with terror when the rooster redirected himself upward and planted the completed beak hard into the shovel. As a result, it flew out of the castle and hit the ground hard, Palossand collapsing into a heap.

"You didn't think I was that ignorant, did you?" Koko quipped as he sent a hard kick into the shovel, "Please, I heard all about your match with Eevee and how she defeated you! I already know that the sand castle isn't the real you! The shovel is!"

Fortunately, it seemed as if he had not quite dealt enough damage as the sand came back to the shovel. With that in mind, Koko leapt off just in time to avoid being trapped inside of him like Eevee had before discovering his weakness. Needless to say, both Palossand and Chespin were terrified now as even the audience had no idea what to expect.

While this went on, Salazzle readied herself for her match with Bulu. And after a few seconds, the bull flew toward her with his horns aimed at her. Seeing his sloppy setup, the salamander smirked and thought, 'Too easy.'

With that, she leapt into the air just in time to avoid him and sent her feet into his back. She then propelled herself off of him and landed a slight distance away. The bull turned to face her and shot steam from his nostrils, leaping toward her with his horns out again.

But just as it looked like this match would be super easy for Salazzle, her eyes widened when he rose up slightly higher into the air and rammed his bell into her face, shouting, "ANCIENT BELL!"

Not only did this cause a great deal of pain to the salamander, but it also emitted a loud noise. As such, she was now distracted while he smirked and unleashed a barrage of punches into her gut, quipping, "You thought I was gonna be some rash idiot, didn't you!? Well, guess what, my mom and dad taught me to use my brain in combat! I only screwed up on purpose the first time to make you think I was reckless and rash!"

Lycanroc gasped and wished she could have been in the ring instead. But right now, there was nothing she could do when Bulu sent Salazzle flying backward with an uppercut. And after she landed on her back, he leapt into the air and tucked his tail into his bell. Suddenly, an actual bottom formed on it as he shouted, "BELL ANVIL!"

And with that, he descended and planted his bell hard into Salazzle's gut as she coughed up blood, her eyes wide with horror. It was just as he said. He was not as dumb of a fighter as he first seemed, and combined with him clearly being the most physically strong in his family, she was in trouble.

Currently, though, it looked as if things might be easier for Turtonator when Lele tried her hardest not to look frightened. Caterpie let out a sigh and said, "As much as I would love to have won this, he's got this in the bag. I almost feel sorry for the girl."

Turtonator narrowed his eyelids and asked, "Are you ready for this?" Lele nodding and uttering, "Y-Yeah. Don't worry about m-m-me."

Even the audience was uncertain how to feel right now. They wanted Turtonator to win, but it seemed like this would be really one-sided. But even so, this was for the better.

"I'll give you a chance to back down," the turtle stated with his arms folded, "I swear, if you're really serious about this, I'm not holding back," Lele narrowing her eyelids and thinking, 'No, don't let him intimidate you! Remember what you're fighting for!'

With that in mind, she held up a defensive stance and squeaked, "Bring it on!" Turtonator shrugging and remarking, "Suit yourself."

He proceeded to whip out his tongue, shouting, "FLAMING ANTEATER!" Lele squeaking in panic and leaping to the side. The last thing she had expected was for his tongue to actually be made of fire. And it would only get worse for her when he swung it into her side, steam emitting from that very spot as she cried out in agony.

Now that she was distracted, Turtonator saw a perfect opportunity, wrapped the tongue around her and sent her flying into the air. And while she descended, her ran right under her with with his pointy head ready, shouting, "SPIKY CRANIUM!"

But just as it looked like he had Lele right where he wanted her, she ignored the pain from the tongue and thought, 'I'll make you proud, Daddy, no matter how scary my opponent is!'

The crowd was shocked when she spun around so she was facing Turtonator's head. She then held her hands in front of her face and formed a pink triangle in front, shouting, "PYRAMID SHIELD!"

Turtonator's eyes widened when this seemed to stop her from hitting his skull. However, it was taken a step further when jolts of pink lightning shot from it and covered the turtle's body. Caterpie's eyes were wide with terror as Turtonator twitched all over, soon covered in light burns.

It did not end there when Lele pushed herself slightly into the air and curled her locks inward like a snail tucking itself into its shell. And once she had descended toward his face, she squeaked, "SNAIL FISTS!" sending the hair into that spot repeatedly at a rapid speed. What surprised Turtonator more than the fact that her locks could be used as a weapon was how much this hurt. Clearly this Tapu Lele was a lot tougher than she first seemed.

All the while, Crabrawler was ready for his fight with Fini to officially begin. However, she looked more than confident as she sighed, "You know, you have a lot of guts sticking to your plan to challenge me, especially with the damage I dealt to your claw. Seriously, that was ungodly rash of you."

"I'll admit, it was a bit of long shot," the crab remarked with a cross look, "But it'll take a lot more than one good counter to keep me away. Even if I'm already bleeding, that's nothing but a minor setback."

"Well, you do have spirit," the mermaid replied with a light smile, "I can at least give you that much. But can you back it up?"

The crab nodded before racing toward Fini. She figured he would not fall for the same counter as before. So when he sent a barrage of punches toward her, she held up her arms and used her webbed hands to block the incoming blows.

Luckily, Crabrawler easily saw an opening and sent one punch toward her face. However, he, Popplio and the small audience were shocked when Fini's hair rose up and clasped onto his wrist.

"Quelle?" Popplio uttered before Fini smirked and said, "I can see you're confused. Can't say I blame you. Not many people know that my hair doubles as an extra pair of arms. In other words, hitting me with a barrage of punches won't be so easy."

Crabrawler's eyes widened with terror while he tried to pry his arm away from her. However, she only added to her grip with her actual arms and pulled him inward, lowering the top of her shell just enough for the horn to pierce his antennae.

As a result, blue blood squirted out as he backed up, shouting, "OH MY GOD!" feeling that very spot as Popplio gasped, "Are you okay, mon ami!?"

Fini folded her arms and thought, 'Oh, this is going to be easy,' while Crabrawler took a few deep breaths and said, "Yeah, I'll be fine. This is just a minor setback, that's it."

There was no way he could lose, not after finally discovering how to fight without straining himself. His loss to Bewear was brought about by him realizing this too late. But that was not the case this time. Now he had enough strength for his efforts to be worth it.

While all of this went on, Umbreon and Mapin had both prepared for their matches at the Tokyo Dome. Eevee, meanwhile, sat idly by with the crowd. While she knew how tough Umbreon was, she could not help but wonder if she really could win this. If she lost, what chance could Eevee possibly have?

With the five minutes up, Yukiko exclaimed, "Alright, folks, it's just about time for the match to begin! In the red corner, having spent more than five months in Hawaii to train, she has returned to use her new skills for evil! It's a real shame, but all we can do is hope she can stopped! Presenting Mapin!"

The crowd was not even sure whether to boo her or not, especially since most of them still could not wrap their heads around this. And of course, Machop and Isamu were not looking forward to this match at all.

Mapin marched toward the ring with a look of anger in her eyes. She glared menacingly at everyone, saving Eevee and her parents for last. Even Yukiko could not help but feel a twinge of fear despite it being her job to be neutral.

When Mapin entered the ring, she pointed in all directions and exclaimed, "Listen up, Tokyo! All my life, I've been built up as some kind of legend only for see my so-called friends steal that from me! I'm going to make you all pay for that!" some members of the crowd confused by these words.

Machop bit her lower lip and whimpered, "Please, Umbreon, change her back to the way she was," as Isamu rubbed her shoulders and sighed.

Yukiko got over her fear and cleared her throat, stating, "In the blue corner is one of the two finalists of the Hero Olympics! She came all the way here from her post in Osaka to save her sister from having to fight a really good friend! Despite how skinny she is, she has an incredible amount of strength! Give it up for Umbreon!"

The crowd went wild when Umbreon headed toward the ring as well, once again wearing Flareon's old bracelets and black top. While it had gone on record the members of the Mach family always saved Machamp's special headband and armbands for special occasions, Umbreon felt strangely inclined to wear these particular clothes to all of her matches from now on.

"You know, the bracelets are pretty cool," Mapin stated with a light nod, "Not so sure about the shirt, though. It feels like it's trying too hard," the black fox narrowing her eyelids and retorting, "Why don't you just focus on the match instead of my choice of clothing?"

The girl shrugged her shoulders and said, "Fine. You're right. I'm just wasting time," before striking a fighting stance and adding, "Besides, I wanna show you just how good I've gotten."

Upon hearing her say that, Umbreon's eyes widened as she imagined a musclebound Eevee standing before her instead. This was exactly what her goal was when she fought her. As such, there was no doubt in Umbreon's mind what Mapin's actual reason for all of this was. However, she had a feeling the girl did not want to answer any questions she had, at least not yet.

"Well, folks, the combatants are set," Yukiko stated, "And so without further ado, let us begin!"

The woman rang the bell as Mapin raced toward Umbreon. The fox narrowed her eyelids and thought, 'So she's still fighting rashly. Good. This might make things easier.'

But when she tried to find an opening, Mapin immediately sent a punch toward her face with her upper arms. As such, the black fox covered her arms in darkness and immediately blocked them. However, she was unprepared for what happened next when the girl sent her five free fists into her pelvis.

"Umbreon!" Eevee squeaked, Machop and Isamu tensing up while Mapin sent a barrage of punches all over Umbreon, shouting, "MACH GATLING!"

Umbreon groaned in pain as she received the volley of punches. It got even worse when she attempted to distance herself only for Mapin's middle hands to stop punching her and hold her in place. And after dealing enough hits, the girl shoved her back and caused her to fall on her rear end.

"That felt beyond satisfying," Mapin said with a sigh, "I finally know how to hit my opponents with that move. You have no idea how annoying it was to have such a fast-paced attack never land so much as one hit, but Tapu Koko taught me how to deal with that."

She looked back to a lecture he gave her three months back after dominating her in a sparring match once more. He took a deep breath and stated, "That Mach Gatling of yours isn't anything super original, but with all six of your arms, I can see it being very useful. The problem is that you keep using it right away while using all of your arms."

"But how is that wrong?" Mapin retorted, "I have six arms! I should use them all for this attack, shouldn't I!?" Koko nodding and stating, "Yes, but first off, you should make sure your opponent is weak enough not to avoid it when you use it. Secondly, if the opponent tries to block or evade the move, use two arms to trap them in place. That way, they won't be able to move out of the way."

Back in present time, the girl grinned and stated, "By using only four arms to hit you, I weaken my move slightly, but it also makes it easier for me to hit you. After Koko gave me that advice, I found other ways to use my extra arms to my advantage, like what I did earlier. I knew you'd be able to block a punch with ease, so I only used two to attack you while saving the others."

Eevee bit her lower lip nervously as Umbreon frowned and rose to her feet, grunting, "So you weren't blowing smoke. You really have become a better fighter. But don't think for a minute this means you've already beaten me."

With that in mind, she raced toward Mapin and readied a palm punch of her own. Just as the girl was about to block it, the black fox ducked down and swept her leg into her ankles. As such, Mapin tripped and fell backward, but when the crowd was ready to cheer, the girl threw her arms back and used them to prevent her back from hitting the canvas.

Umbreon's eyes widened after she received a hard kick to the face. And it only got worse when Mapin rose upright along with her and wrapped her middle arms around her waist. She then used her lower arms to lock her legs in place while using her upper arms for a similar purpose, on this time spreading out Umbreon's.

Machop watched in horror. Even if she was willing to speak up, she could not find a way around this. And Umbreon could not either as Mapin leaned backward and spat, "MACH SUPLEX!"

With no way to escape, Umbreon covered her head in her dark aura to cushion the blow. However, she was shocked when despite all of that, she still took in a great deal of pain when her skull hit the canvas. As such, Eevee could no longer hold back her support as she squeaked, "UMBREON!"

Mapin released her hold and allowed the black fox to collapse. She then smirked at Eevee and said, "Just you wait. This is gonna be you soon enough."

"And it would seem that Mapin is already performing much better than she did against Tsareena and Golisopod," Yukiko stated, "The match has only gone for a little over a minute and yet Umbreon has taken in a lot of pain."

Needless to say, the audience was just as terrified as Eevee, Machop and Isamu. What if Mapin really was too powerful and skilled now? What if no one could convince her to return to the side of good?

'I hope you're paying attention, Mom,' Mapin thought with a smirk, 'I may not have mastered the family power, but unlike Grandma Gardevoir, I don't need it anymore. I've become so amazing that it's become obsolete.'

She dropped her smirk when Umbreon leapt back to her feet and took many deep breaths, growling, "It's a real shame you've decided to use your new talents for such a selfish purpose. If you used this for the reason you originally intended, you would be an amazing asset," as Mapin scoffed, "Sounds to me like you're the selfish one here. You just see me as a potential ally and nothing else."

Umbreon narrowed her eyelids. She would have retorted to this, but she knew it was still too early to try and get through to the girl. If anything, she would need to find a way around Mapin's abilities and weaken her first.

But she was not the only one. Since Koko knew Palossand's weakness, he would need to try even harder to win. And of course, Chespin could not help but worry. Just from that one move the rooster used, it was clear that he was stronger than his age suggested.

"Hey, Palossand, are you sure you can do this?" he uttered, "I can take over if you'd like," the castle retorting, "No, man. I put you guys through so much trouble and I fully intend to make up for that."

"My, my, how noble of you," Koko sighed, "It's just a shame that you were only a legitimate threat when no one knew your secret. Now that the whole world knows, you might as well not even fight anymore. At least Wishiwashi's gelatinous body is still useful despite everyone knowing about it. You don't even have a way to protect your real body from pain. All someone has to do is aim for your head and you're a sitting duck."

The audience could not argue against this. After all, things had gotten significantly easier for Eevee after she discovered that fact.

Even with that in mind, Palossand frowned and retorted, "Why don't you try some more, man!? If you're really so prepared to fight me, then don't just stop after two hits!"

"Very well," Koko remarked as he leapt toward the shovel with his head. He also spread out his arms and opened his beak-like hands just in case Palossand tried to counter.

However, the castle was ready this time as he formed his towers into actual human-like arms. Koko was not prepared for this when he cupped them together and sent them crashing down into his forehead. The crowd cheered while he then formed into a steamroller and rammed hard into the rooster, shouting, "SANDROLLER!"

Koko groaned in pain and flew backward. However, he managed to land on his feet and skid to a halt, smirking and saying, "So that's the mighty Sandroller, eh? It's powerful, but not quite good enough."

"Oh yeah!?" Palossand retorted as he molded himself into a subterrene and started up his drill, exclaiming, "SANDRILL TANK!"

"Cool!" Chespin squealed with his eyes sparkling, "Show him how awesome your sand powers are!"

Just hearing the chipmunk cheer him on made Palossand happy while the sand below his eyes became slightly darker to represent tears. However, it seemed as if Koko was ready for this when he leapt over the incoming drill and cupped his hands together. He then sent them downward into the shovel and caused it to fly away from Palossand, his sand now in a heap.

"You were an amusing distraction, I guess," Koko grunted as he spun vertically toward the shovel, his crest now gleaming, "Unfortunately, your real body is too weak to handle pain."

Chespin gasped and spat, "COME ON, PALOSSAND! GET UP!" the sand headed toward the shovel. Unfortunately, it was too late when Koko rammed his crest hard into the middle of the object and shouted, "TAPU SWORD!"

When the sand stopped moving for good, it was clear to everyone that Palossand had lost. As such, Koko folded his arms and sighed, "And to think you were once a massive threat. Like I said before, I'm not impressed."

Chespin tensed up, feeling even more frightened than the crowd right now when Koko turned to him and said, "I hope you provide a better challenge, because I'm facing you when the other matches end."

Many wondered what he meant until he directed everyone's attention toward four huge TV screens being held up by choppers. They all turned toward them as one member of the crowd quipped, "Huh, surprised I didn't see that before."

And sure enough, all of them turned on to show the other matches. The crowd was not too surprised to see Salazzle and Turtonator taking Lycanroc and Caterpie's place, though seeing Umbreon and Crabrawler fighting was a little unexpected. However, the biggest shock to all of them was how badly each one was doing. All they could do was hope that they would not meet the same fate as Palossand.


	71. Chapter 71

Many thought that Palossand and his allies coming in to help would be a blessing. But so far, it seemed as if their presence made little difference. The shovel had already been defeated and his allies were not performing so well themselves despite both of them having strong starts.

It did not help that Umbreon and Crabrawler were also in trouble. So far, Umbreon had only landed one hit while Crabrawler was yet to deal any damage to Fini.

Since Bulu knew how to fight logically despite his overeager attitude, Salazzle found herself unable to hit him as he rammed his bell into her cheek. All the while, Lycanroc bit her lower lip and whimpered, "Are you okay, Salazzle? I can take over if you'd like."

"No!" the salamander retorted with a serious look in her eyes, "A few good hits won't take me down. Now that I know how he fights, I'm sure I can win this."

The wolf nodded lightly and continued to watch while Bulu laughed and exclaimed, "I like you! You don't give up when the going gets tough! But even so, your style is so easy to figure out!"

"Oh yeah!?" Salazzle retorted as she went down on all fours, "Try figuring this out!" before crawling toward him like a snake. However, when it looked like she would finally catch him off guard, he tucked his tail in as a cover once again formed on the bottom of his bell. He then landed on Salazzle's back and shouted, "BELL ANVIL!"

Despite only having taken in four hits so far, Salazzle was already coughing up blood while she thought, 'Oh my god! She's so strong!'

But when he rose up into the air, she saw a chance as her mind added, 'No! I can't let the others down! This is my chance to redeem myself, and I'm gonna take it!'

With that in mind, she ignored the pain and leapt up to his height, her tail once again scalding as she flipped vertically and sent it crashing down into his sombrero, shouting, "PYRO WHIP!" However, her eyes widened when this wound up having no effect.

Bulu smirked and waited for her to continue her descent. And when she was low enough, he sent both of his hooves into her forehead, causing her to fall on her back, the crowd staring in horror.

"Why didn't that work!?" she growled while she slowly rose to her feet, "I could tell from looking at that thing atop your head that it's made of wood! That should be easy for me to break!" Bulu retorting, "It's because this wood is not only strong, but it's also been blessed by island spirits. Even fire can't burn it. That's how durable it is."

Salazzle gritted her teeth as Lycanroc gasped, "Look, Salazzle, you're badly hurt! If this is all to make up for your past, you've done a good enough job of that! I'm more than happy to call you a friend! I was chosen to fight him, so I should suffer, not you!"

The salamander smiled lightly and said, "Thank you so much, Lycanroc. It really means a lot to hear you say that," before rising to her feet and adding, "But I initiated this fight and I wish to end it. This guy's a lot harder to beat than I thought he would be, but that doesn't mean it can't be done. You and your friends have done so much for Tokyo. It's time you took a breather and let someone else do it."

Lycanroc nodded slowly and sighed, "Just be careful, alright?" as Salazzle nodded and gave her a thumb up, Bulu growling, "Hey, stop talking! We're in the middle of a match!"

All the while, Turtonator seemed to be doing just as poorly. He once again whipped out his tongue only for Lele to block it with her magic triangle. After having blocked one of his moves, it seemed as if her confidence had increased significantly while Caterpie stared with concern. If someone as strong as Turtonator could not defeat her, what chance would he have?

After blocking the tongue for the tenth time, Lele leapt toward the turtle with her helmet pointed at him and shouted, "FAIRY SPEAR!" pink energy surrounding it and forming a spear head. Seeing this, Turtonator panicked and whipped out his tongue once more. Only this time, he shifted his head in a circular motion to make it spiral while barking, "FLAMING ANTEATER LASSO!"

As a result, he managed to wrap his tongue around Lele, but while this did cause her to take in pain, it did not stop her from reaching him. As such, she rammed her cone into his neck as pink lightning shot out and added to the pain, the turtle narrowing his eyelids and trying his hardest to ignore it.

It was rather difficult for Lele to ignore the burns from his tongue as well, but she was ultimately able to do so when she remembered why her parents wanted her to succeed. As a result, Turtonator eventually released his hold on her back and backed up, breathing heavily.

"Are you okay?" Caterpie uttered as the turtle nodded and remarked, "Don't worry about me. I've fought many opponents in my life, and I can tell you, Popplio was far worse. All this girl has going for her is fairy magic. As long as I can get around that, I can beat her."

Lele's fear returned while she thought, 'He may be right about that,' before shaking her head, 'It doesn't matter! As long as I continue to block his moves and dominate the match, he'll go down for sure!'

With that in mind, she formed a transparent pink drill around her cone and flew toward Turtonator with that part facing him, shouting, "FAIRY DRILL!"

This time Turtonator was ready as he swung his body around and rammed his tail into the drill, shouting, "TAIL SAW!"

Magical sparks flew from both weapons. But in the end, it seemed as if Turtonator might finally get the upper hand when he applied just enough force to send Lele sideways. Seeing an opportunity, he whipped out his tongue and latched it to her neck, slamming the side of her head into the canvas while the crowd cheered.

Caterpie breathed a sigh of relief before exclaiming, "Way to go, man!" the turtle nodding and thinking, 'Palossand was right. You guys really are forgiving. Now I want to win this even more. Getting cheers from the crowd actually feels pretty nice.'

While things had improved for Turtonator, though, Crabrawler did not have it so easy as he cupped his claws together and sent them toward Fini. Unfortunately, she closed up her shell just enough to block the incoming strike. Thus the crab distanced himself, his eye twitching while he thought, 'No. My style was supposed to make me a much better fighter, but I can't land a single hit on her. What am I supposed to do?'

Popplio could not help but wonder the same thing. He had seen Crabrawler's style in action and knew that it was effective. But against someone like Fini, it seemed practically useless. Thanks to her shell, he could only attack her from the front, but since her hair technically gave her four arms, even that was iffy. Now the seal could not help but wonder if he could possibly defeat her if he wound up having to take Crabrawler's place.

The crab rushed toward Fini only to receive a hard slap from her hair as she smiled wickedly and said, "You know, your style probably would have had some effect against one of my kids, but not me," Crabrawler blinking and uttering, "Wait, what? Your kids?"

"Oh yes," the mermaid replied while waving her hand through her hair, "I can understand your confusion. I may look like I'm in my teens, but I'm actually in my mid-forties. That's the major benefit of our species."

Crabrawler blinked again and thought, 'So she's much older and yet she can match blows with me. Damn, I guess not everyone weakens with age. And combined with her style, I wonder if she's right.'

"Look, Crabrawler, I appreciate the help," Popplio uttered, "But maybe I should take over. I was supposed to be her opponent in the first place."

Unlike Salazzle and Turtonator, Crabrawler was considering the option as the crowd looked at him with concern. If he could not land a single hit, what was the point?

But when he turned around, Fini smirked wickedly and lunged toward him with her horn pointed at his back, stating, "I accepted your challenge, so I'd much rather fight you to the bitter end!" tucking herself into her shell and barking, "NARWHAL JAB!"

Just as it was about to hit, Crabrawler leapt into the air and grunted, "What was I thinking!?" before expanding the side of his right claw and shouting, "POWER UP PUNCH!" ramming it into the roof of the shell.

While the strike did not seem to deal any damage to the shell, it managed to send it into the canvas. As such, when Fini opened it up, she felt a tad lightheaded when Popplio gasped, "You've got her now!"

Crabrawler nodded and dashed to the front, once again expanding his fist and barking, "POWER UP PUNCH!"

But when he sent it forward, Fini regained focused and closed up her shell, this time clamping down on his wrist. To make matters worse, Crabrawler did not feel her flesh, meaning she had stopped his fist just in the nick of time.

For the first time in the match, though, Fini looked terrified as she thought, 'I can't believe it! He almost hit me! It's just too bad almost doesn't cut it.'

Crabrawler attempted to pry his arm out while Popplio enquired, "Are you alright?" the crab uttering, "Yeah, I'm fine for now. Luckily, this shell isn't too painful."

However, that would soon change when Fini tickled the sides of her shell with her hair. She also placed a firm grip on his wrist to hold it in place before shouting, "SHARK JAWS!" The crowd stared in horror when a set of razor sharp teeth formed all the way around the shell's mouth. And sure enough, once they reached full size, they pierced Crabrawler's skin as he cried out in extreme pain.

"OH NON!" Popplio cried while Crabrawler tried his hardest to pry his hand out. Unfortunately, Fini would not allow him to do so as she continued to hold onto his wrist, pulling it inward and causing the teeth to scrape up against it.

"You shouldn't struggle," she said mockingly, "You'll only cause yourself more pain," Crabrawler stopping and standing still, breathing in and out. As much as it pained him to admit it, she was right. But what could he possibly do? Even if he chose to surrender, it was not as if she would accept it.

After a few seconds, though, he realized there was only one option. As such, he narrowed his eyelids and growled, "It's too bad you only have one of my arms!" before pounding his free claw repeatedly into the top of her shell.

Fini chuckled wickedly and sighed, "That doesn't make a difference. I don't know if you've noticed yet, but my shell has been blessed by island spirits. There's no way you can possibly break it."

Popplio's eyes and mouth were wide with horror at the sound of that. A part of him thought that might very well be the only way to defeat Fini. And his panic rose when he noticed Crabrawler's punches had caused the shell to close further inward each time one of them hit.

With that in mind, he was just about to tell the crab to stop when Fini pulled harder on his wrist, the crowd and seal going silent when they heard a rip followed by a splat. And they soon saw why when Crabrawler reeled back his arm, his eyes and mouth twitching. A very light sound escaped from his mouth as his right claw had been pried off of him with blue blood spilling from the opening.

Fini opened up her shell and said, "Thanks so much for the gift," Crabrawler gritting his teeth and barking, "YOU GIVE THAT BACK!" readying his left fist.

However, Fini once again leapt at him with her shell closed and shouted, "NARWHAL JAB!" striking him hard in the gut. He coughed up a great deal of blood since the horn had gone all the way through him. It was just fortunate that she had not aimed for his chest otherwise he would be dead.

Popplio cried out in terror when Fini removed her horn and allowed him to collapse. There was no doubt about it. Crabrawler was unconscious now as the mermaid hurled his right claw into him and said, "I've decided I don't want it anymore. Consider it a memento of our meeting," winking at him.

The seal stared silently while the mermaid sighed, "Well, that was slightly more annoying than it needed to be, so until I decide to begin our match, I'd rather kick back and watch the others unfold."

Soon enough, various TV screens caked into the cave walls turned on. And as much as the audience was surprised to see a different fighter in every other ring, all that was showing from Koko's match was a looped replay of his victory over Palossand. It was bad enough that one of the people fighting for Tokyo had been defeated, but two of them had gone down. Needless to say, Popplio was terrified of the thought of any of his friends taking on a member of the Tapu family now.

Meanwhile, in the Tokyo Dome, Umbreon was still trying to find a way around Mapin's moves. As if her knew tactical way of thinking was not bad enough, her extra arms already proved to be a nuisance.

After a few seconds, though, the black fox sprinted toward Mapin and covered her arms and legs in darkness. And when she closed in, Mapin readied her arms only for the black fox to leap high into the air and plant both of her feet into her skull.

The crowd cheered as this seemed to have an effect. And it did not end there when Umbreon latched onto Mapin's neck with her ankles, leaning backward and taking hold of her feet. She then propelled herself into the air and flipped one hundred and eighty degrees, but unlike every other time she used the move, she did not go particularly high up.

"FULL MOON CRASH!" she exclaimed as she planted Mapin's skull into the canvas, the crowd cheering wildly only for the girl to ignore the pain and smirk.

"Umbreon, let go!" Eevee squeaked, but it was too late when Mapin sent her middle fists into the the black fox's gut. She then wrapped them around her waist and propelled herself up with her top arms, only she went much higher and used all her might to flip herself and Umbreon over.

The crowd gasped before she said, "I see, you used less height than usual because you knew if I had to time to react, I could easily stop my collision with the mat. Unfortunately for you, you haven't faced a member of the Mach family before."

Machop winced at the sound of that. Just hearing her daughter use that famous family quip for malicious intent was beyond painful.

And things were about to get a lot worse when Mapin took hold of Umbreon's feet and wrapped her legs around her neck. She then pulled the black fox's legs back, bending her back. She planted her middle fists into that same spot to force it farther forward and used her lower arms to pull her hips inward, the crowd wincing at the sound of Umbreon's backbone cracking.

Machop and Isamu both stared wide-eyed as the black fox gritted her teeth and covered her entire body in a dark aura to cushion the blow. But even then, she still took in extreme pain when the back of her head hit the canvas, Mapin shouting, "MACH LIGHTNING!"

"And there's something that hasn't been seen in ages!" Yukiko exclaimed as Mapin released her hold and allowed Umbreon to collapse, "Mapin has just used the Mach Lightning, the only finishing move that Machop invented! While the setup is simpler than that of most of the Mach family's moves, the bending of the back has been known to make it stronger than even the mighty Sunset Slam!"

Umbreon groaned and twitched, thinking, 'It's similar to my Lunar Crash, but not quite. If I hadn't used my darkness, that would have finished me for good.'

Machop bit her lower lip with light tears in her eyes. As if hearing her family's famous quip used by a villain was bad enough, to see the move she invented delivered for evil purposes broke her heart.

"What's wrong?" Mapin asked tauntingly, "I thought you'd be happy to see me finally using your techniques," as Eevee gritting her teeth and spat, "COME ON, UMBREON! I KNOW THAT WASN'T ENOUGH TO FINISH YOU OFF! GET UP AND TEACH HER A LESSON!"

Mapin glared at her while Umbreon slowly rose to her feet. However, upon doing her, she gritted her teeth and let out a loud cry of pain. She then rested her paw against her back and breathed heavily, the girl turning back toward her and smirking wickedly.

"Seems like your darkness didn't protect you as much as you'd hoped," she stated while pounding three of her fists against the other palms, "And just think, you had to step in to defeat someone I couldn't. It's so hard to imagine now that I think about it."

The crowd was mortified. Was Umbreon really going to lose this quickly? She had, at the very least, put up a much better fight against Scorchicken before suffering the same fate.

But when Mapin raced toward Umbreon to deliver more torment, Umbreon smiled lightly as a smirk formed on her face. She then covered her arms in darkness and quipped, "Gotcha," before sending a karate chop into the girl's face.

Mapin's eyes and mouth were wide open as Umbreon proceeded to unleash more. Afterwards, she sent a palm punch into her gut. This left her slightly dazed and thus she was now wide open when Umbreon leapt back toward the turnbuckle and grasped onto the top of it. She then swung herself in a circle, forming a disc and launching herself off.

By the time Mapin regained focus, it was too late when Umbreon soared into her gut and shouted, "SWIRLING NIGHT BLADE!" and for the first time in the entire match, the girl coughed up blood.

The crowd cheered wildly as Eevee breathed a sigh of relief and thought, 'I hate to say it, but Mapin really deserves to be taken down a peg. She may have been our friend, but right now, she is definitely on the side of evil.'

"And after taking in nothing but abuse, Umbreon gets the upper hand," Yukiko stated, "Her onslaught of karate chops was effective, but her Swirling Night Blade was the true icing on the cake. Mapin might just lose this match after all."

Machop blinked and sighed, "Is it wrong that I wanted to see that happen?" Isamu shaking his head and sighing, "It's obvious Mapin's heart is in the wrong place right now. She needs a wake up call and if Umbreon can keep that up, she might realize her mistake."

But while things were looking up for Umbreon, one could only guess how things would turn out with Salazzle and Turtonator. All three would certainly need to make up for Crabrawler and Palossand's losses, but could they do it? After all, the Tapu family was stronger than anyone expected and Mapin really was the incredible fighter she had wanted to be for so long.


	72. Chapter 72

Right now, it was anyone's guess how things would turn out. So far, the heroes were down two allies with the defeat of Palossand and Crabrawler. And while Turtonator and Umbreon were only now starting to show results, the same could not be said for Salazzle who had taken in considerable pain and dealt next to nothing.

Bulu flew toward her with a grin and said, "I have to admit, I'm impressed that someone as skinny as you can stand after all the damage you've taken in! Unfortunately, you don't stand a chance!"

'That's what you think,' the salamander thought while she allowed him to plant his hooves into her chest. This time, she managed to ignore the pain and stand her ground, her hands heating up as she sent them into his shoulders and spat, "PYRO CHOP!"

The crowd cheered when Bulu winced in pain. This was all Salazzle needed as she took hold of his arms and opened her mouth wide. A purple fog seeped from her gums while she shouted, "POISONOUS JAWS!" and bit into the bull's shoulder.

Lycanroc's eyes sparkled as she thought, 'Eevee told me about this. This move made her so weak that it felt like a true miracle when she actually won. Salazzle might still have a chance.'

Bulu narrowed his eyelids and rammed his hooves into her again. As such, she backed up and smirked, quipping, "You're still able to pull off impressive hits like that now, but just you wait. I just injected poison into your body. This particular toxin will weaken you by the minute. After the first one, it won't be too bad, but by the time minute two comes around-"

"Oh my god, you don't have to explain it!" Bulu snapped, "We may not have a TV, but we have newspapers and the radio to let us know about these things. I'm well aware of how close Eevee came to losing when you hit her with this move. But unfortunately, it won't work on me."

Salazzle blinked and uttered, "What?" Bulu gritting his teeth and focusing hard. His muscles expanded in size and steam shot from his nostrils. After a few seconds, the crowd groaned in disgust when the purple fumes followed.

The area went silent as Lycanroc and Salazzle stared in sheer terror. As if Bulu was not intimidating before, now it seemed as if he could easily force poison out of his body at any given time. The salamander had counted on her Poisonous Jaws to give her the advantage. Now what could she do?

Bulu folded his arms and smirked, saying, "I have to admit, I'm impressed. Allowing yourself to get hit so you could use that ability took serious balls. Unfortunately, I'm way too badass for that to work."

At this point, Salazzle was at a loss. Her best tactic had failed. With that in mind, Bulu leapt toward her with his horns pointed at her and exclaimed, "ARTIST'S STAMPEDE!"

"Salazzle, get out of the way!" Lycanroc gasped, but by this point, the salamander was too shaken up to do anything. As such, she took in the blow and the horns pierced her chest, magical tribal markings seeping from the pencil lead and covering her. It seemed that these added to the pain since, much like a cattle prod, they wound up burning her as she cried out in agonizing pain.

The crowd watched in horror when her eyes rolled to the back of her head. Thus Bulu removed his horns and allowed her to fall on her back, ringing his own bell and exclaiming, "And the winner is Tapu Bulu!" before making his own cheering noises.

Lycanroc immediately leapt into the ring and ran over to Salazzle. She then held her up and whimpered, "Are you okay?" the salamander wincing and weakly uttering, "I'll be okay. I'm part fire type. This burning sensation should ware off soon. But be careful. This guy's a much better fighter than I thought he'd be."

With that, she coughed lightly and closed her eyes. Medics rushed into the area while Bulu laughed, "Those burns won't ware off anytime soon. Just like my hat, my horns have been blessed by island spirits. That's why even a fire type can take in extreme pain from them. It's just so cool, isn't it?"

Lycanroc's fears would heighten soon when jumbotrons all around the race track turned on to show the other matches. Just like in Fini's cave, all that was shown from her match and Koko's were replays of their victories.

At the very least, Turtonator and Umbreon had managed to get the upper hand, so it seemed there was at least a little bit of hope. All Lycanroc could do was hope that they could win and give Tokyo even a slight advantage.

After having taken in Turtonator's attack, Lele's fear started to return. She already knew from looking at him that he would be tough, but to think he had managed to overpower her magic with tail armour. Now she really could not help but wonder if he was right when he said getting around it was the key to defeating her.

However, she would need to think fast when the turtle whipped his tongue out at her once more. Seeing this, she squeaked in panic and dodged to the right. Luckily, he was more than ready for this as he latched his tongue to her once more, her flesh burning while she cried out in pain.

Caterpie's eyes sparkled as he exclaimed, "Let her have it!" Turtonator nodding and going down on all fours. He then lifted the snail girl up and aimed her toward his shell, shouting, "SHELL MOUNTAIN PEAKS!"

When Lele was about to make contact with his spikes, she narrowed her eyelids and thought, 'Remember what Dad told you. With your powers, you can overpower anyone!'

With that in mind, she used all her might to tilt her body upward so her tail faced the shell. But rather than forming her drill again, she formed a pink rock and shouted, "FAIRY METEOR DROP!"

The crowd was shocked to see this provide just enough protection, Turtonator blinking and tilting his head far enough to see this. However, he did not look the least bit worried as he shouted, "SHELL TRAP!" said part spinning like a buzz saw.

Strangely enough, though, this seemed to have no effect as Lele sent her hair forward and bound it to his neck. The crowd stared in fear while she pulled backward, Turtonator's attack coming to a halt. She smiled lightly and squeaked, "SNAIL NOOSE!" while the turtle's face started to turn blue.

"Turtonator!" Caterpie gasped while the crowd really hoped he could get out of this. After how hard it was for Popplio to take him down, they could not believe how easy it was for Lele to get the advantage over him.

Despite that, Turtonator tightened his grip on Lele and grunted, "I won't let you win! You'll have to give up eventually! There's no way you can handle all that heat!"

"I've spent my life living in a hot climate surrounded by water!" Lele retorted, "It hurts, but it's nothing for someone like me."

And after a few seconds, Turtonator gasped and retracted his tongue. His eyes then rolled to the back of his head as the snail girl released her hold, his chin hitting the canvas hard. Once enough time passed, there was no doubt in anyone's mind. Lele had just defeated Turtonator.

"OH MY GOD!" Caterpie gasped while Lele felt his neck and said, "He's still breathing. As much as I want to win, I would never resort to murder."

While that was slightly refreshing, it did not change the fact that Tokyo was down another ally. And of course, when the other screens turned on to show three replays of the other losses, panic filled the area. Now the only one left standing was Umbreon, and while she had finally gotten the advantage, she had also taken in a great deal of pain earlier.

Luckily, things were looking good after Umbreon's Swirling Night Blade struck Mapin. The fact that she had coughed up blood left her unable to focus as much as before while the black fox unloaded an onslaught of palm punches with her paws covered in darkness.

The crowd cheered while Eevee smiled and nodded her head in approval. She knew Umbreon would not be that easy to defeat.

Things only looked better when the black fox took hold of two of Mapin's wrists. She then leaned backward and planted her skull into the canvas, Yukiko exclaiming, "And Umbreon is on fire! Mapin just can't seem to get the advantage back!"

Back atop the mountain, Chespin smiled wide and squealed, "Yeah! The others may have lost, but Umbreon's too awesome for that!"

'We'll see about that,' Koko thought with a look of irritation. He then sat down in a meditative state, his eyes closed. A few people including Chespin gave him odd looks, but they figured this was merely his way of resting up for his next match and thought nothing of it.

As Mapin took in a two-legged kick from Umbreon and backed up, her eyes widened when she noticed Koko appear in an empty bleacher. However, no one else seemed able to see him. But she soon found out why he was there when he sighed, "Mapin, I know it's shocking that even after learning how to strategize, you still wound up taking in a lot of damage. But don't let that get you down. It's like you said. Umbreon has never fought a Mach before."

The girl continued to stare when Umbreon raced toward her and snapped, "Anyone ever tell you not to let your guard down during a match!?"

Mapin put on a more serious look and snapped, "SHUT UP!" before sending three of her fists sideways into the incoming fox. Then with her now distracted, she sent a barrage of her own karate chops, shouting, "MACH SICKLE STORM!"

Her eyes lit up as she had just thought up a new attack, and it was certainly effective with Umbreon unable to respond. Much like when she used her Mach Gatling, she made things more difficult by using her middle arms to trap her in place when she tried to back up.

"Good," Koko stated with a light smile, "A true Mach is able to handle all sorts of pain and still fight to the bitter end. Keep this up and you'll show the world that you, too, can live up to those expectations. No more will they mock you."

With all said and done, he vanished as Mapin ended her assault and took hold of Umbreon's shoulders. She then leaned backward and used her lower arms to force her legs into a splits formation, planting the back of her head into the canvas.

Umbreon once again coughed up blood while Eevee squeaked, "SIS!" Machop and Isamu tensing up. Deep down, they had a feeling the advantage would not last, but it was still devastating all the same.

"It's like I said," Mapin grunted, "You've never faced a member of my family before! You can hit me with all you got, but you'll never match my level, not anymore!"

"STOP THIS!" Machop snapped as everyone else went silent, Mapin glaring at her when she sniffed, "Please, tell me why you're doing this! I know you gave a reason, but I just can't accept it! Is it because of me!? Was I a bad parent!?"

Isamu nodded and added, "I'd like to know that too. Is there somewhere I went wrong?" Mapin shaking her head and retorting, "No, I can't blame you for how you raised me. You were simply doing your job as parents. It's not like you could help the obligation to shower me with praise and make me believe I was perfect before entering the real world."

"It was me, wasn't it?" Umbreon uttered while still on her back, Mapin staring at her as she groaned, "I've had a feeling from the minute this all started that I'm to blame for this, that you heard what I said after defeating Golisopod. Look, Mapin, I'm sorry. I feel like I was way too harsh with my words. I shouldn't have come off as so condescending."

Eevee's eyes widened at the sound of that. Deep down, she had felt the same thing. Now it all made sense. This was the reason Umbreon insisted that she had to be the one to face Mapin and no one else. She wanted to make amends.

"Please, don't flatter yourself," Mapin retorted before gripping Umbreon's ears and lifting her up, "As harsh as your words were, they were also true. I didn't know how to fight properly. If anything, you are the only one in this world who has ever been honest with me. That's why the chance to make you my first victim felt like a gift from the heavens. I wanted you to see just how far I had come."

Umbreon's eyes widened as she had no idea how to feel about this. On one hand, it sounded like Mapin viewed her less like an enemy and more like a teacher. But on the other hand, the fact that her words had made it easier for her to serve the side of evil was painful. It made her feel even more at fault for all of this.

Even so, all the damage she had sustained up to this point was finally taking a toll on her. With that, Mapin hurled her high into the air and leapt toward her, saying, "I think I'll use the first move I ever invented to end this match. It just seems fitting, you know?"

"NO, UMBREON!" Eevee squeaked while the crowd cheered for her. And surprisingly, this gave Umbreon just enough strength to regain focus as she latched her ankles around Mapin's neck once she was close enough.

"I'm glad you for took my advice, but I'm disappointed that you'd use it for such a terrible purpose!" she barked before leaning forward and taking hold of the girl's feet. She then flipped one hundred and eighty degrees and bent her knees back, the girl's face aimed at the canvas.

The crowd cheered wildly when suddenly, it seemed as if Mapin's luck had increased exponentially. Eevee and Machop were beyond scared now when a certain purple aura covered her hands. The power from the Beaulieu side of her family had kicked in and this was exactly what she needed to turn things back in her favour.

"I hate to break it to you, but my power greatly exceeds yours!" Mapin grunted as she managed to flip herself over thus putting Umbreon on the receiving end. She then spun herself and the black fox around and flipped her upside-down, wrapping her arms around her while the crowd stared in shock.

"Is she about the use the Ultimate Driver!?" Yukiko exclaimed as Mapin sighed, "As much as I wouldn't mind that, I said I'd use my first original move to end this, and I'm not going back on that."

The crowd went silent when Mapin spun like a twister and explained, "My great grandpa Machamp once had the Muscle Tombstone overpowered. You know how that happened? The mighty Bouffalant overpowered him. Then many years later, Grandpa Machoke had the same thing happen when he tried the move on Talonflame. All I needed to do was overpower you to get out of that hold of yours."

Umbreon gritted her teeth and thought, 'Did she have to explain-' only for her thought to be cut off when her skull hit the canvas hard, Mapin shouting, "MACH HURRICANE!"

Umbreon coughed up a considerable amount of blood before closing her eyes. And with that, Mapin released her hold and allowed the black fox to collapse, Eevee rising up from her seat and shouting, "UMBREON!"

Yukiko stared briefly before shaking her head and stating, "Well, folks, after a very intense match, Umbreon has lost! Therefor, Eevee will have to face Mapin!"

Machop clasped her hands over her mouth while Isamu patted her on the shoulder. All the while, their daughter grinned wickedly at them and asked mockingly, "What's wrong? Aren't you proud of me for living up to the family name?"

Machop's sadness and shock turned to anger as she gritted her teeth and stood up, barking, "MAPIN, YOU LISTEN UP!" the girl staring at her in shock, everyone else just as surprised while she snapped, "I am getting really sick and tired of this attitude! Seriously, all of this just because we tried to give you encouragement!? All of this just because the world expected a lot from you!? Look, I remember my first loss and how devastating that was! But when I learned how to fight, I didn't use my new power to bully the innocent! You have been a very bad girl and deserve to be punished, but I don't want anyone dishing it out except me!"

Eevee stared for a few seconds before gasping, "WHAT!?" Isamu shouting the same thing with his jaw dropped. No one else, especially Mapin, could believe what they had just heard either.

"Honey, maybe you should leave this to-" Isamu uttered only for Mapin to cut in and bark, "That's right, Mapin! I'm challenging you to a match! I'll fight you tomorrow and make you realize that you've made a horrible decision!"

No one knew what to say to this. Should they even speak up against it? But soon enough, Mapin broke the silence as she sighed, "Please, Mom, what are you gonna do? You performed even worse than I did against Tsareena, and you actually knew what you were doing."

"True, but unlike you, I've mastered the Beaulieu family power," Machop retorted as the audience let out a collective 'Ooo'. Mapin gritted her teeth while the woman continued, "I merged with it at a very young age, thus making my regular strength even higher than before. Meanwhile, your power comes and goes at random. Sometimes it doesn't even activate. Even at my age, I bet I could take you."

Mapin narrowed her eyelids and retorted, "Alright, fine! Tomorrow, we fight!" when suddenly, all four large screens in the dome turned on, showing the results of the other matches.

Eevee blinked and uttered, "What the hell is going on here?" Mapin groaning, "Oh my god, they got different opponents too? Oh well, it only makes sense that they'd win anyway."

Seeing as all of the matches had ended, Koko smirked while Chespin clasped onto his cheeks and groaned, "COME ON! EVEN UMBREON COULDN'T WIN!?"

Koko turned to him and sighed, "I'd be more worried about myself if I were you," the chipmunk gulping as the screens showing footage from the mountaintop were now the only ones on. He then stepped in front of a camera and stated, "As you can see, citizens of Tokyo, each of us has had an additional opponent to stand in our way. But as you can also fathom, we have bested all of them. Mapin has just accepted a match with Machop tomorrow, and I am fine with this."

The girl breathed a sigh of relief before thinking, 'Good, I thought for sure he'd be mad about that,' the others wondering where he was going with this while he continued, "The rest of us will face our originally planned opponents in the next hour. Those of you in the Tokyo dome can relocate to any of these areas if you'd like, or you can stick around and watch the matches on the jumbotrons. It makes no difference to me."

Eevee bit her lower lip as medics raced into the area to take Umbreon to the hospital. She took a deep breath and thought, 'No, I need to make sure the others will be okay. If I'm gonna sit this out, I may as well support them. It shouldn't take too long to get to the beach from here.'

With that in mind, the brown fox smiled at Machop and said, "Good luck tomorrow," the woman bowing her head and replying, "Thank you. You should probably hurry. It doesn't look like Popplio has much of an audience, eh?"

Eevee nodded and raced off, Isamu sighing, "Are you really sure about this, honey?" the woman replying, "Not really, but I saw no choice. I don't expect to beat her. I just want her to see the light."

Mapin, all the while, took a seat in the crowd with a smirk. She expected the others to win, but she still felt like she had to at least support them in spirit. After all, Koko had literally done that for her.

Back in the beach cave, Popplio turned to Fini while trying to hide his fear. He had to figure out a way around her insane defence. And all the while, the mermaid smirked at him and said, "I look forward to finally facing you."

Meanwhile, Bulu turned to Lycanroc and stated, "Well, that was a fun distraction. I hope you put up a better fight," the wolf growling and marching away from the area to prepare herself.

Caterpie and Lele both gave each other cold looks and did the same. The caterpillar took a deep breath and thought, 'I can do this,' pulling out his golden headband and putting it on, 'I'm a good fighter now. Her magic may be scary, but I just know I can find a way around it.'

And finally, Chespin frowned at Koko and headed off to ready himself behind a big rock. Koko, all the while, rolled his eyes and thought, 'Train all you like. You don't stand a chance.'

Needless to say, that ray of hope had just dwindled immensely as the heroes of Tokyo were mostly back to square one. Could Eevee's friends defeat the Tapu family and leave Mapin with no allies?


	73. Chapter 73

It seemed as if things would be a lot easier when Umbreon, Crabrawler and Palossand's group came to help. Unfortunately, despite their best efforts, all five had been defeated and rushed to the hospital. And as much as Eevee would have liked to have joined Umbreon, she felt that at the very least, she should be there to cheer Popplio on.

As such, she was currently headed toward the beach where his fight had taken place. Though all the while, she thought, 'Wait, why did it look like he was inside a cave? There are no caves at-'

But when she arrived at the beach, she saw the very reason. Floating in the middle of the shallow end was the cave where he had fought. This was just strange enough for the fox to realize that had to be the location. As such, she looked at the water and sighed, "Guess I don't have a choice."

Meanwhile, Popplio trained in a corner while Fini watched him and sighed, "You can train all you want. You'll never hit me," the seal frowning and thinking, 'Why did there have to be one cavern?'

He then noticed Eevee enter, his eyes sparkling as he exclaimed, "Eevee! Did you just come all the way here!?" the fox nodding and sighing, "I figured since my match might not actually happen, I may as well come and give my support."

"Tres bien," Popplio replied before Fini sighed, "So, of all the heroes, you came to watch him. I wonder if there's a special reason for that," Eevee sticking out her tongue and lowering her eyelid.

She then turned back to the seal and enquired, "By the way, the replay footage of Crabrawler's loss showed him missing a hand. Did that really happen?"

Popplio nodded and sighed, "Unfortunately, oui. Fini almost seems impossible. Her shell makes her difficult to hit, and every time Crabrawler got close to hitting her, she'd find a way to stop him. Her shell also has a row of teeth in it. That's what she used to cut his claw off."

"Oh my god," Eevee uttered, "I know you're tough, but can you really handle this?" Popplio sighing, "If I give up, I give the Tapu family a higher chance to take over, so I don't have much of a choice. But I've already faced one opponent who was almost impossible to hit. I'm sure I can handle this."

Eevee nodded and patted him on the shoulder, shooting him a sweet smile. She had no doubt in her mind that he could win this match. After all, he was the very reason she knew how to fight now.

Meanwhile, in the racecourse, Lycanroc had trained by running laps around the ring and practising her skills with any props she could find. Once she felt she was ready, she took a deep breath and thought, 'Bulu may be tough, but I'm going to win. Ever since I joined the group, like Caterpie, I haven't defeated a single villain. I've beaten quite a few heroes, but no villains. I've been waiting for another chance like this.'

Bulu, all the while, sharpened his horns on a stone and grinned wickedly at the wolf. He had no doubt in his mind that like Salazzle, she would just be a mere obstacle in the way of his family's goals.

In the Nippara Limestone Cave, Caterpie was already standing in the ring while punching the air. Lele, however, simply rested against a nearby wall with a light smile on her face. After having defeated someone as scary as Turtonator, she had no doubt in her mind that a caterpillar would be easy. Not only that, but she had heard of his match with Ribombee and how easily he was defeated.

'Dad's gonna be so proud of me!' she thought with a giddy look on her face, 'I still don't like having to do this, but I'm really good at it! It even felt kind of satisfying! Not to the point where I'd consider a career that involved me having to fight, but still satisfying!'

Up on the mountaintop, Chespin was a fair distance from the ring and using a rock he was currently standing behind as a dummy to test his skills on. All the while, he thought, 'Alright, Koko may be tougher than his age suggests, but that doesn't mean I'm gonna lose! I saw enough of his skills in action! I can beat him!'

Koko, meanwhile, was in a meditative state. After all, he still needed to rest up from his match with Palossand. The castle may not have done a lot, but he had still landed a couple of impressive hits. Even so, there was no doubt in the rooster's mind that he and his family would be more than ready once the hour was up.

After ten minutes, it was finally time. Koko stepped into the ring and folded his arms, saying, "The hour is up, Chespin," the chipmunk remarking, "Yeah, yeah. Don't get your crest in a knot."

The crowd cheered as he emerged from behind the rock. However, their cheers died down when they noticed he was wearing a red cape. He sprinted toward the ring and leapt high into the air. Unfortunately, a gust of wind picked up and blew him backward, causing him to fly into the rock he had spent the last hour behind.

Koko narrowed his eyelids and grunted, "You don't take me seriously, do you?" only for the chipmunk to groan, "No. I just wanted to give everyone a cool entrance."

He then removed the cape and made his way over to the ring. When he entered it, he took a deep breath and barked, "You may have beaten Palossand, but you've never fought the likes of me before!"

"You're right," Koko remarked, "I've never faced anyone with a more pathetic track record," the chipmunk uttering, "What?"

"Well, in your time spent here on Earth, you have defeated one villain," Koko stated, "You were also the only hero in Tokyo who didn't make it past the second sporting event, let alone make it into the tournament. In fact, I believe you lost to Palossand, did you not?"

"Hey, he had a teammate for that match!" Chespin retorted only for Koko to sigh, "So did you. In fact, you didn't even perform all that well until she rushed in to bail you out."

The crowd had to admit that they were having trouble arguing against this. Lycanroc may not have defeated a single villain yet, but she had proven herself superior when it came to combat. Not only that, but at this point, many felt that Caterpie had gotten better than him.

Chespin gritted his teeth, his eye twitching as he pointed and spat, "You know what!? Screw you! You'll be the second villain I defeat! And when I win, I'll make you kiss my feet!"

Koko let out a sigh and shook his head before stating, "Well, you seem more than confident. Alright, I'll let you have the first hit," spreading his arms out while Chespin narrowed his eyelids and thought, 'As if I'd fall for that. Popplio wouldn't and neither will I.'

With that in mind, the chipmunk smirked and said, "Honestly, I'd rather you make the first move," as Koko bowed his head and replied, "How noble of you. If you insist, I'll go first then."

With that, he placed both halves of his mask together and flew toward the chipmunk with lightning surrounding his entire body. Chespin blinked and thought, 'Uh-oh, now what?' only for Koko to ram himself hard into him and send him flying backwards, shouting, "WILD CHARGE!"

The crowd gasped when the chipmunk's back hit the ropes. He then bounced off while Koko reverted to normal and sent a jab into his gut. Afterwards, Koko took hold of his arms and lifted him up, planting his skull into the canvas and letting go.

"I'll give you some credit where it's due," the rooster stated, "I didn't think you'd be smart enough to try and turn my tactic against me. Unfortunately, the element of surprise doesn't really work if you can't harm your opponent."

Chespin grunted and pushed himself upright, breathing heavily and thinking, 'Dammit! I should have known he'd try that! But if he thinks that's enough to take me down, he's got another thing coming! I've gotten a good idea of how he fights and that's all I really need!'

While this went on, Popplio entered the ring and was ready to face Fini. Eevee sat in the crowd and looked around, thinking, 'God, what amazes me more than the lack of an audience is the fact that anyone showed up for this. I mean, she could have provided a walkway or something.'

Fini smirked and asked, "So are you ready or shall I make the first move?" the seal narrowing his eyelids and thinking, 'I could have her make the first move like I always do, but what difference would it make? I need to find a way to hit her, but how?'

Even so, he realized this was probably the one time where it would be a good idea for him to start the match. As such, he took a deep breath and shouted, "CIRCUS BALL!" before tucking himself into a ball and rolling toward the mermaid.

Fini immediately closed up her shell as he screeched to a halt. He then retracted from his ball-like state and placed a firm grip against the spike, pulling upward while the crowd watched with curiosity. However, it seemed like this was a bad move on his part when Fini tickled the side of the shell and asked tauntingly, "Please, if mankind can't open an oyster shell with their hands, what chance do you have trying to pry open mine?"

Things seemed to get worse when the tickling caused the spike to expand, Fini shouting, "NARWHAL HARPOON!" Popplio gasping in pain as he found his stomach pierced. Thanks to his blubber, it did not go all the way through, but it was still lodged in his skin regardless.

"POPPLIO!" Eevee squeaked before Fini opened up the shell and said, "Funny, I heard you were supposed to be a strategic genius," before leaping into the air and leaning backward, planting Popplio's skull into the canvas.

The crowd stared with concern while Fini removed her horn, allowing the seal to collapse. She then smirked and said, "Try all you might, but just like your friend, you'll never be able to land a fin on me. You may as well just give up."

"Non," Popplio growled as he propelled himself upright, "Mark my words. I will find a way around your ironclad defence no matter how hard it might be."

Meanwhile, Lycanroc was more than ready for her match with Bulu. The bull planted his hooves together and stated, "Oh yeah, I've gone so long without a fight, and now I get two in one day! This couldn't be any better!"

'Yeah, enjoy it while it lasts,' the wolf thought as she signalled the bull to come at her. And sure enough, he took her challenge and flew toward her with his horns out. Once he was close enough, Lycanroc leapt to the side and sent a roundhouse toward his ribcage.

Unfortunately, Bulu saw this coming and swung his arm out. Thus she wound up kicking his hoof instead. And due to the golden casing around it, she felt pain from this and groaned, retracting her leg and trying her hardest to ignore it.

Bulu smirked and whipped his tail sideways. Sure enough, he managed to plant his bell into her side while shouting, "ANCIENT BELL!"

The crowd gasped when Lycanroc bit her lower lip, thinking, 'No, don't let him know how much that hurt! Try to tough it out!' as Bulu took full advantage of the distraction and rushed at her with his horns at the ready again.

Seeing this, Lycanroc instinctively threw her paws out. However, she had made the mistake of exposing her palms and thus the horns were planted into them. Bulu exclaimed, "ARTIST'S STAMPEDE!" while colourful markings formed on her paws.

And just like when Salazzle was hit by this same move, steam shot out as Lycanroc cried out in pain. She then pried her paws out of the horns and blew on them, Bulu laughing, "Come on! All you're doing is fanning it!"

With that in mind, he raced toward her again with his horns out and added, "You're even easier than that lizard thing!" Lycanroc gritting her teeth and sending a kick toward him. Unfortunately, she wound up hitting his sombrero. As such, her attack had no effect while the horns hit her midsection.

Needless to say, the audience was beyond concerned now when more markings appeared. Lycanroc cried out in agonizing pain as Bulu smirked and said, "I see it now. While I can tell you're likely stronger than the lizard, you can't handle pain. I was hoping for a real challenge this time, too."

Lycanroc took many deep breaths and grunted, "And you're gonna get it!" before swinging her arm toward him. The bull gasped as he took the blow to his cheek, the wolf growling, "If your opponent's still standing, you should pay attention! Didn't your dad teach you that!?"

But as effective as that hit was, the markings still burned. As such, Lycanroc had trouble concentrating while Bulu rubbed the spot she had just hit and said, "Well, you're definitely tougher. Too bad it won't help you in the long run."

During this time, Caterpie was ready for his match with Lele as he narrowed his eyelids and thought, 'Alright, so far I've only managed to defeat a fellow hero. Today's the day I really prove my worth by taking down a villain.'

However, he would need to act fast when Lele raced toward him. Due to her bolstered confidence, she would not hesitate this time. As such, Caterpie shot out his string and latched it to her waist.

Lele blinked and stared in shock as the caterpillar jerked his head sideways. As such, she wound up flying into the turnbuckle before Caterpie lifted himself up, shouting, "STRINGSHOT ASTEROID!"

Lele gasped while the crowd cheered. Unfortunately, though, the snail girl was able to regain focus just in time to form her magic triangle in front of her face. Seeing this, Caterpie's eyes widened as now he wished he had the ability to cut open his string. But since he could not, he flew straight into the triangle, a bolt of pink lightning hitting him hard and sending him backward.

Lele grinned and said, "Well, you may have caught me off guard, but I'll still win. Turtonator had a burning tongue and I still beat him. Your silk isn't anywhere near as bad," her eyes sparkling while she thought, 'Wow, I just talked smack to an opponent! Why did that feel so good!?'

Caterpie narrowed his eyelids and thought, 'Dammit, she's right. If I can't find some way around her fairy magic, I'm screwed.'

He would certainly need to think fast when Lele leapt toward him and formed a drill on her shell. Caterpie panicked while she squealed, "FAIRY DRILL!" and spun toward him. With that in mind, the caterpillar thought, 'Right!' and leapt into the air. He then latched his string to her chest and spat, "STRINGSHOT ASTEROID!"

This time, Lele took the hit and gasped in pain. However, she chose to ignore and it wrapped her arms around Caterpie, panic filling him since he was now trapped in place. While her arms were skinny and weak, Caterpie was far from what one would call physically strong, so this was just enough. And with that, Lele leapt backward and rammed the back of his head into the top of the turnbuckle.

Caterpie groaned in pain as the snail girl released her hold and allowed him to fall off of the turnbuckle and onto his back. She then took a deep breath and said, "I have to admit, so far you're better than the news stories tell me. But that doesn't matter. I promised Daddy that I would help him achieve his dreams and I won't let you stop me, even if you are the chairman's son!"

Mapin watched all these matches along with the crowd, thinking, 'Look at that. They're all doing just as well as I thought they would. This is in the bag, I just know it.'

However, Yukiko was not too worried. She had a feeling the heroes of Tokyo could turn this all around. After all, they had a knack for getting out of tight spots.

Currently, at the mountain, Chespin was dodging an onslaught of jabs from Koko. And while doing so, he tried to find an opening to exploit. After all, that was the sort of thing Popplio would do in a situation like this.

However, he soon realized just how quick he would need to be when the rooster sped up the rate of his jabs, shouting, "ANCIENT FLOCK!" the chipmunk stretching his bristles forward in order to block the incoming jabs. Unfortunately, this only helped him so much before he took in one blow to the gut. And what followed were twenty-nine more as he was now covered in bruises.

Koko let out a sigh and once again latched his beak-like hands to the chipmunk's arms, grunting, "You know, as pitiful as your track record is, I was still expecting a challenge. So far, the only thing you've managed to accomplish is taking in more hits than Palossand and still standing."

Chespin gritted his teeth and thought, 'Dammit, he's right! What's wrong with me!? I've never done this poorly before!'

With that in mind, he ignored all the pain dealt to him and spat, "I told you, not only will you be the second villain I defeat, but I'll also make you kiss my feet!" before swinging himself backward and reeling forward, his feet striking the rooster hard in the gut.

This dealt just enough pain for Koko to release his hold. And this was the opportunity Chespin needed as he unleashed a barrage of punches into the exact same spot. But just when he noticed Koko about to retaliate, he stretched his bristles forward once again and jabbed them into his flesh. He then placed a firm grip on his arms and leapt into the air.

The crowd cheered wildly while he leaned backward, Koko's eyes wide with shock when his forehead hit the canvas hard, Chespin shouting, "SPIKE SUPLEX!"

He then retracted his bristles and allowed the rooster to collapse. He took many deep breaths and thought, 'There we go. That won't finish you off, but that should earn me some respect.'

But when Koko rose back to his feet, Chespin's eyes and mouth widened when he saw what happened next. The wounds from his bristles sealed up and a bruise that had formed on Koko's forehead vanished. Even so, the rooster did look a tad impressed.

"Not only did you catch me off guard, but you knew aiming my skull for the mat would be a bad idea," he stated with a nod of his head, "I have to admit, I am actually a touch impressed."

However, he soon noticed that his light praise meant nothing to the chipmunk, his eyes and mouth still wide with shock. As such, the rooster nodded and explained, "You're wondering where my bruises went. Well, while members of the Tapu clan can't exactly recover from damage dealt to us, any cuts, scrapes or bruises that form on our skin are immediately patched up. Thus is the benefit of being blessed by island spirits."

Chespin narrowed his eyelids and thought, 'Well, at least my attacks still hurt him,' and with that in mind, he leapt toward Koko with his arms raised and cupped together, shouting, "WOOD HAMMER!" Unfortunately, the rooster saw this coming as he held up one half of his mask and used it to block the incoming strike. Afterwards, he sent his free arm forward and jabbed the chipmunk in the gut.

While Chespin backed away from him in pain, he folded his arms and added, "By the way, my mask here has also been blessed by island spirits. That means you can beat away at it all you want, but it'll never break," the chipmunk retorting, "Well, it's not like I had any intention of doing that!"

He then gritted his teeth and thought, 'Dammit, I was actually going to try that,' while Koko sighed, "I'll admit, so far, you have proven yourself a slightly bigger challenge than Palossand. But let's just see if you can keep that up."

But while Chespin had done some decent damage now, the others had not done so well yet. One could only guess how this would turn out. Could they defeat the Tapu family or were they doomed to suffer the same fate as the others before them?


	74. Chapter 74

Much like Chespin, Popplio had to find a way around Fini's defences. As such, he stood his ground and glared at her, thinking, 'I feel like the only way to really hit her is to move quickly enough, like when I fought Wishiwashi. But I can't help but wonder-'

"I'm getting bored," Fini sighed as she leapt toward him and closed up her shell, shouting, "NARWHAL JAB!"

Seeing this, Popplio panicked and leapt to the side. Unfortunately, while he managed to avoid the spike, he still took in a light graze from the shell and fell on his side.

Eevee bit her lower lip while Fini peered out of the shell and leapt toward Popplio. And sure enough, he was unable to move in time to avoid having her fall on top of him. It only got worse when she jumped up and down repeatedly and inflicted even more pain.

"I'm really starting to wonder where that great reputation of yours comes from," Fini said tauntingly, "So far, you're even less of a threat than Crabrawler was. At least he almost hit me."

Eevee gritted her teeth and spat, "Take that back! Popplio's amazing! You just haven't seen him at his best yet!" the seal frowning and thinking, 'Oui!'

With that in mind, he regained enough strength to roll to the side just in time to avoid a tenth strike. He then thought of something he could do and swung his tail sideways into the shell's spike. This seemed to work as it started to spin as a result, Fini emerging with her eyes swirling.

Eevee's eyes sparkled as Popplio thought, 'Oui!' With such a good opportunity, he leapt vertically toward her and exclaimed, "BOUNCING BALL STRIKE!" planting his tail into her cheek before she could regain focus.

The crowd cheered while the mermaid's eye twitched. Suddenly, her skin turned beet red and steam shot from her. She could not believe it. For the first time in ages, someone had actually managed to hit her in combat.

With that in mind, she rose up her hair and sent it hard into the seal's chest. He was shocked when the resulting force was enough to get him to cough up blood, Eevee squeaking in panic. It was about to get much worse, though, when the mermaid spat, "HOW DARE YOU HIT ME, YOU BEAST!?"

She then caressed the sides of the shell as six dark-purple tentacles emerged from them. Popplio's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. As if she was not intimidating enough, now things were even worse.

Lycanroc did not seem to have it much better when she took in a punch to her chest courtesy of Bulu. She retaliated with a punch of her own to his face only for the burns on her paw to worsen. As such, she cried out in pain and gave the bull more than enough time to send his hoof into her again.

When she backed up and took shaky breaths, Bulu smirked wickedly and said, "It's a real shame you had to let yourself get burned so soon. You'd probably be an actual threat if you hadn't," the wolf gritting her teeth and thinking, 'No, I can't let this get to me! I have spent all my life being oversensitive to pain, and yet now I fight evil for a living! I can't afford to let this get to me!'

With that in mind, she took a deep breath and retorted, "I can still beat you! A little burn is nothing!" as she raced behind Bulu and latched onto his shoulders. But just as she was about to set up for her Midnight Suplex, her eyes widened and she bit her lower lip. Luckily, she was able to ignore the pain just long enough and leap into the air, a purple wind surrounding her while she leaned backward.

Bulu's eyes widened when Lycanroc descended and barked, "MIDNIGHT SUPLEX!" The pain from the burns increased when the bull made contact and thus the wolf released her hold on him and panted heavily, thinking, 'Oh well, at least I-'

Her eyes widened when she noticed Bulu's horns were planted into the canvas. And while they had gotten deep enough to reach his head, she had completely forgotten about his sombrero. As a result, he took in no pain from the move whatsoever, thus he pried himself out of the material and grinned.

"Wow, you're dumb!" he scoffed, "I can't believe you actually thought that would work! Were you even paying attention to my last match!?"

As much as it pained Lycanroc to admit it, Bulu was right. She should have seen that coming. And to make matters worse, the burns still effected her since the fast movements increased the heat. This was all Bulu needed as he rushed at her and rammed his bell into her chin, shouting, "ANCIENT BELL!"

Seeing this, one member of the crowd got up and shouted, "Come on, Lycanroc!" another adding, "You're so much better than this!"

The wolf's eyes widened when the people all cheered for her. However, Bulu saw this as nothing more than meaningless noise. With that in mind, he charged at her with his horns out and shouted, "ARTIST'S STAMPEDE!"

Lycanroc refused to allow herself to take in this move again. And luckily, it seemed that the words of encouragement allowed her to ignore the pain from the burns. As such, once Bulu was close enough, she threw her arms forward and gripped tightly onto his horns, forcing one foot into his sombrero to force him back. Her wind returned as a grin formed on her face.

"What!?" Bulu spat, "How are you-!?" the wolf grunting, "Unfortunately for you, I've already gotten used to the burns!"

She then leapt into the air and flipped one hundred and eighty degrees, barking, "MIDNIGHT SUPLEX MACH TWO!" planting his back into the canvas.

The crowd cheered wildly as she took a few deep breaths and thought, 'That's right. It's just a little extra heat. It's like I'm standing in a desert right now. It's hot, but I can handle it.'

Bulu rose to his feet only to receive a hard punch to the face, Lycanroc shouting, "DARKNESS FIST!"

The bull backed up and rubbed his nose. He then narrowed his eyelids and grunted, "Okay, it seems I underestimated you after all. Good. This is the kind of challenge I wanted."

While Caterpie had dealt a few good hits earlier, it seemed as if that would not last when Lele sent an onslaught of punches toward him with her hair, shouting, "SNAIL FISTS!"

Caterpie tried his hardest to dodge the incoming hits only to wind up taking one to the gut. This was just the distraction Lele needed to deliver ten more to him. And with him now shaken up, she crossed her arms together and rammed them into his face.

The crowd watched with concern as he fell on his back, the snail girl hovering above him. She then formed a rock on her shell and descended toward him, shouting, "FAIRY METEOR DROP!"

Caterpie panicked upon seeing this and leaned his head back. He then whipped out his string and latched it to the turnbuckle, pulling himself out of the way just in time to avoid the pain. With Lele distracted, he saw a chance and thought, 'That's right, I did an incredible job against Scorchicken, even though I lost! If I can come close to beating her, I can do this!"

With his string still attached to the pole, he swung himself around and shouted, "STRINGSHOT TETHERBALL!" ramming himself into Lele's side. Her eyes widened while she careened sideways into the ropes. However, she managed to stop herself from bouncing back toward the caterpillar, but just barely.

"How are you doing so well?" she enquired with a scared tone, "I've heard that you've never won a fight in your entire life."

"And how long ago was that?" Caterpie remarked before the snail girl tapped her chin and replied, "Well, it was shortly after Palossand and his group were defeated."

"Well, there's your problem," Caterpie remarked with a light smile, "You haven't kept up with recent news, otherwise you'd know that I made it past the first round of the Hero Olympics tournament!"

Lele's eyes widened with shock as she uttered, "You're right, I didn't hear about that. The only news stories dad brought up were the ones involving Eevee and how she was doing. He never said anything about you."

One member of the crowd grinned and stated, "Well, that's too bad, because what Caterpie just said is true," another adding, "Yeah, he's awesome."

Lele stared at the caterpillar while he explained, "It's true that when I started off, I was inexperienced. I was led to believe my whole life that I was naturally born amazing. However, after my loss to Ribombee, I spent a great deal of my free time training. Now I can take on someone like you. I even came close to beating Scorchicken, the current world champion."

Seeing the smiles from the crowd, Lele could tell that he was telling the truth. But as much as this scared her, she had to remember she was doing this for her father. As such, she took a deep breath and said, "That just means victory over you will be more impressive."

Caterpie narrowed his eyelids and waited for her to make a move. And soon enough, she leaned forward and exclaimed, "FAIRY SPEAR!" a pink spearhead forming on her helmet while she flew toward the caterpillar.

'That was careless,' he thought as he leapt into the air and spun vertically toward her back. Lele gasped when he rammed his tail into that very spot, her face hitting the canvas as a result.

'No!' she thought while her eyes started to glow, 'I can't let Daddy down! He's counting on me!'

Caterpie was just about to strike her again when suddenly, her shell started to grow a little bit, travelling up her entire upper body while fitting itself to match the more slender build. And once high enough, all but her hands were covered in the material as if she now sported a suit of armour. To top it off, a round mask formed from under her helmet and covered all but her eyes and hair.

The area went silent as no one could believe what they had just witnessed. Lele looked equally confused and uttered, "What's everyone-?"

She then held up her arms and squeaked upon seeing her new pink sleeves made from the same material as her shell. She then touched her head to feel the mask. And when she turned toward one of the cave's shiny stones, she could see her reflection in it.

"Oh my god!" she squealed with a big smile, "The island spirits answered my prayers! Now I'm completely protected!"

At this moment, all of Caterpie's confidence left him. It already seemed impossible to damage the shell up to this point, so how could he possibly bring harm to her?

Things would only get worse when the snail girl formed a pink moon around herself, rolling it toward the caterpillar and shouting, "MOONBLAST!" the caterpillar too shocked to move in time. Thus he took a hard blow to the face and flew backward into the turnbuckle.

When the crowd saw him cough up blood for the first time in the match, fear filled their veins. Just like Caterpie, they were starting to wonder if he could possibly win now that Lele was almost fully covered now. Would he have been better off giving up?

Things did not seem to look any better for Chespin either. After taking in three hits from him earlier, Koko was on high alert. The chipmunk sent many attacks forward only for each one to be blocked by a portion of the rooster's mask. And when he tried a roundhouse, Koko caught his foot with one of his beak-like hands and lifted it up, slamming his back into the canvas.

The crowd winced when Chespin noticed the rooster was still holding his foot. But just as he was about to try and free himself, he soon found himself lifted up again and hurled into the air. Koko then leapt up to his level and flipped him upside-down, wrapping his arms around him and resting his knees against the sides of his head.

"As you can see, I know a few classic wrestling moves as well," Koko stated before descending toward the mat and planting the chipmunk's skull into the canvas. He then let go and allowed him to collapse, sighing, "I'll give you credit. You have spirit, but it means nothing if you can't hit me."

Chespin lay there and thought, 'He's right. I managed to catch him off guard once and that was it. If he didn't have that stupid mask, this would be so much easier. I need to find a way around it.'

He then thought about what Popplio would do in this situation. Koko blinked and uttered, "Wait, did I actually-?" only for the chipmunk's eyes to open up. He then pushed himself up with his feet aimed toward the rooster.

Koko immediately held up one half of his mask to block the incoming kick. However, Chespin had a smirk on his face as he said, "Unfortunately for you, I was expecting that."

The rooster's eyes widened when the chipmunk used his feet to propel himself upward. He then cupped them together and shouted, "CHESTNUT CRACKER SUITE!" twirling into Koko's forehead and knocking him on his back.

The crowd cheered while he took a few deep breaths and thought, 'That's right! Everyone's fighting for Tokyo's sake! There's no way in Hell I'm gonna let them down!' and with that in mind, he leapt toward Koko and grunted, "You're gonna take in this attack and you're gonna like it! WOOD HAMMER!"

And unlike before, he managed to successfully ram his hands into Koko's face. The cheers only got louder when the chipmunk threw his fists forward triumphantly and shouted, "Oh yeah! How do you like that!? I dare you to get up now!"

Unlike the rest of his family, Koko did not seem to feel any different after this. He simply rose back to his feet and said, "Well, I have to admit, that was actually pretty smart. That means this match will be more interesting than I expected."

The lack of malice in his words strangely sent shivers down Chespin's spine. Normally villains in a spot like that would either act smug or lose their temper. And yet Koko did not even seem to care that he had just taken in two very powerful blows to the head.

But even so, at least Chespin had made a slight comeback. The same could not be said for Popplio. His eyes and mouth were wide with terror while he gazed upon the tentacles coming from Fini's shell. As if hitting her was not a challenge before, now it seemed impossible.

Fini grinned wickedly and said, "I may seem cold and hard, but let me tell you, I can be very sensitive. I don't like being hit, and now I will make you pay."

The seal tensed up and uttered, "You should have known you'd get hit in a fight," only for the mermaid to ignore his words and lash out two of her tentacles. Popplio immediately leapt over them only for a third to wrap itself around him and hurl him into the mat.

"Popplio!" Eevee squeaked, "Are you gonna be okay?" the seal uttering, "Normally I would say oui, but I'm not so sure this time."

Things only got worse when Fini started whipping him repeatedly in the back, shouting, "OCTOPUS BARRAGE!" before laughing, "Hey, how ironic! The circus performer is being whipped!"

Many bruises formed as a result while Popplio gritted his teeth and tried to ignore it. But while his blubber provided some protection, it was not enough as he struggled to get up. He then resorted to crawling forward only for Fini to take him by the tail and ask, "And where do you think you're going?"

She then lifted him up and said, "I could pierce you right now, but I want to enjoy my revenge." With that in mind, she pulled him forward and rammed the back of his head into the back of her shell, shouting, "OYSTERPUSS SLAM!"

Eevee shook her head and whimpered, "Popplio, just give up! I can take your place! Machop's going to fight Mapin in my place anyway!" the seal retorting, "Non! I won't give up!"

With that in mind, he started to turn his body while Fini pulled him toward her shell again. And after a few seconds, he managed to break free as he shouted, "CIRCUS WINDMILL!"

Fini's eyes widened when he burst open the ends of all six tentacles. He then spun toward her with his flippers out. As such, she panicked and sealed up her shell, his forehead hitting that instead.

But while he took in some pain from this, he noticed something odd. While not easily noticeable, he could see an almost microscopic crack form on the top. It was not exactly impressive, but it could only mean one thing. Fini's shell was not indestructible.

Unfortunately, it seemed as if he would not be able to take advantage of this discovery just yet. The crowd and Eevee all shouted in unison, "HEY, WATCH OUT!" but it was too late when the ends of the tentacles grew back, all six whipping him in the sides.

However, the seal ignored the pain and sent a karate chop into the spot with the crack, many staring at him in confusion. He realized he had no choice but to keep his distance when the tentacles came for him again. And with that, Fini emerged from her shell and asked, "Did you seriously just willingly attack my shell? You know that won't do anything, right?"

Popplio took a deep breath and remarked, "I don't see many other options," Eevee biting her lower lip. It sounded like he had gotten desperate now. As such, she really felt like taking his place would be a better idea, even if she could not necessarily come up with anything that could work on the mermaid.

But just as she was about to suggest it a second time, her eyes widened when Popplio turned to her with a light smile and winked. Strangely enough, that was all she needed to see. She could tell from that one look that he knew full well what he was doing. And with that in mind, she smiled lightly and nodded her head.

Fini took a few deep breaths while her skin returned to normal. As such, she smiled and said, "Well, it seems that there's no way you'll be able to hit me again. Sorry for my outburst earlier, though I hope you don't mind if the tentacles stay. They won't return unless the match is finished, you know."

Popplio narrowed his eyelids and thought, 'I was hoping they would go away sooner than that. They're only making it harder to hit her. But I'm sure I can work around them. I already escaped from them once.'

Even with Popplio at a disadvantage, it seemed as if things had finally picked up for him. But would the same go for the others? Would Lycanroc be able to keep her new advantage? Could Chespin deal more hits to Koko? And could Caterpie find a way around Lele's new suit of armour?


	75. Chapter 75

Popplio could not believe the spot he was in right now. On one hand, it seemed as if he had finally found a way to defeat Fini. But on the other hand, not only had he already taken in a significant amount of damage but he would also need to deal a ton of hits to her shell.

'I have to thank you, Crabrawler,' Popplio thought with a light smile, 'If you hadn't dealt all those hits earlier, I probably wouldn't have figured out that I could destroy her shell. But those tentacles are certainly a nuisance. I'll need to work around them, but that's easier said than done.'

All the while, Bulu was having trouble fighting back while Lycanroc unleashed an onslaught of punches toward his face, shouting, "DARKNESS FIST BARRAGE!"

Luckily for the bull, her punches were slow enough for him to block them. Though even with that in mind, her fists were strong enough to put light bruises in his arms. And to top it all off, she was finally able to ignore the burns all over her body.

'Okay, I wanted a challenge, but this is crazy!' he thought, 'I just need to think logically and find a way to get around this, like Dad would do. Let's see...'

He shifted his eyes downward toward her legs and grinned before reeling his tail back. He then swung it forward and shouted, "ANCIENT BELL!" ramming the object in question into her right ankle.

Lycanroc winced and stopped her assault, thus allowing Bulu to send an uppercut into her chin. But when she backed up and rubbed the spot, she blinked and thought, 'Wait a minute. That hurt, but nowhere near as much as it normally would.'

She realized she would need to act fast, though, when Bulu rammed his elbow into her gut. As such, she retaliated by swinging her arm at him only for him to back up just in time to avoid it.

But as disappointing as it was to see her move fail, she could not believe how easily she managed to ignore the pain to her gut. She then looked down at the various markings all around her and thought, 'Oh my god! I think these burns actually helped increase my resistance to pain. I finally feel the same amount of pain from attacks that everyone else does. Suddenly my rock typing makes sense.'

Her eyes sparkled as Bulu gave her an odd look and uttered, "What is wrong with you? Any normal person wouldn't look so happy after being hit," only for the wolf to put on a more serious look and lunge toward him with her arm out.

The bull sent his hoof into her gut when she got close enough. However, she ignored the pain and swung her arm sideways into his neck, her purple wind blowing around it. She then spun her body around and flung Bulu into the turnbuckle, shouting, "CLOTHESLINE OF DARKNESS!"

The crowd cheered wildly while the bull rubbed the back of his head, the wolf saying, "Before we continue, I just wanna thank you," a light smile on her face as he stared awkwardly at her and uttered, "Oh my god, you're being super weird now!"

"I know this was unintentional, but you just helped me overcome my biggest weakness," Lycanroc explained, the bull staring in shock and uttering, "I did?"

The wolf nodded and added, "For a long time, despite being a rock type, I've always had a low tolerance to pain. I've tried so hard to overcome it, and all it took was being burned for a few minutes to finally get over it. So thank you," the crowd smiling wide upon hearing that.

'Oh no!' Bulu thought with his eyes in panic, 'If Dad found out I actually helped my opponent, he'd be so pissed off! Forget having a fun challenge! I need to end this as soon as possible!'

With that in mind, he took a deep breath and released steam from his nostrils, grunting, "Well, you know what!? That's not gonna help you in the slightest! I have the power of the island spirits! I can defeat anyone!"

Panic spread through the crowd when his bell suddenly doubled in size. Not only that, but spikes sprouted up all around it as he flew toward Lycanroc. She panicked and tried dodging to the right only for the bull to swing it sideways into her, shouting, "ANCIENT BELL!"

However, he was genuinely surprised when he saw the slight change in appearance, Lycanroc's waist coming upon as she cried out in pain and fell on her side. The bull took some time to admire this and uttered, "Wow, that is so awesome. I didn't know I could do that."

He then turned and noticed Lycanroc attempting to rise up. With that in mind, he flew toward her and rammed his bell into her cheek. The wolf may have been able to ignore the burns now, but she could not ignore having her skin poked open by spikes, let alone the fact that the bell was now twice as strong. As such, she once again cried out in pain and allowed herself to succumb to a third strike.

"I don't even need my Artist's Stampede anymore!" Bulu exclaimed with a big grin, "I can beat you easily with my Ancient Bell! This is the best day ever!"

Lycanroc slowly rose to her feet and trembled. Could she defeat Bulu in this more powerful state?

Caterpie once again latched his string to Lele and swung her sideways into the turnbuckle, shouting, "STRINGSHOT SWING!"

However, unlike every other hit up to this point, this had no effect as Lele beamed bright and said, "This is great. You can't hurt me anymore."

"I'm sure if I keep hitting you, I can break that shell of yours!" Caterpie retorted while thinking, 'Assuming I'm strong enough to pull that off.'

However, it seemed as if his strength might not help him when the snail girl explained, "Actually, my shell was blessed by island spirits long ago. It can't be destroyed no matter how hard you try," the caterpillar letting down light tears and thinking, 'My chance to defeat a villain and she's OP as hell!'

It only got worse when Lele raced toward him. Caterpie then blinked and thought, 'Wait a minute!' before leaping at her with his tail aimed at the slit that revealed her eyes and a little bit of her flesh. Unfortunately, this seemed to fail when he realized his tail was too big, thus when it made contact, he still hit the armour.

"Oh, shit," he groaned as Lele formed hammer heads on her hands and shouted, "FAIRY MALLET!" ramming them both into his gut and knocking him on his back.

Caterpie coughed up blood while the crowd watched with concern. All the while, his eye twitched as he refused to believe this was it. There had to be some way to get the advantage back, but he would need to think of it soon when Lele once again floated over him and formed her pink meteor.

'Wait, I know what to do!' he thought as he whipped out his string and swirled it around like Turtonator had done with his tongue. He then latched it to the snail girl and threw his head back, shouting, "STRINGSHOT SUPLEX!"

Lele looked less scared and more irritated when the back of her head was slammed into the canvas. However, she was shocked when she felt slight pain from this. As such, she winced while Caterpie leapt to his feet and breathed heavily, a light smile on his face.

"I knew it," he stated, "Your armour may be tough, but it doesn't protect you completely. All I gotta do is use strong enough hits and I can still hurt you."

Lele, however, did not look too worried. As such, she positioned herself upright and remarked, "Unfortunately, I will not allow you to slam me into the mat from that high up again. You've dealt three hits to me since my armour formed and that was the only one that actually hurt, and even that wasn't very effective."

And as soon as Caterpie's confidence returned, it left after he heard that. As such, he lowered his head and groaned, "Dammit, she's right," light tears forming in his eyes.

But just as he thought about giving up, he remembered his other friends. They were all fighting for Tokyo as well. They were probably having just as much trouble as he was, if not more. Not only that, but if he gave up, he would let Lycanroc, the love of his life, down. There was no way he could allow that to happen no matter how bad things looked.

With that in mind, he took a deep breath and spat, "Well, like you, I can't allow myself to give up no matter what! You may have power, some very impressive power, but so do I! I'm not the loser I used to be, and today, I'm gonna prove that by shattering that armour of yours!"

With all said and done, he latched his string to the top of her helmet and leapt into the air, shouting, "STRINGSHOT ASTEROID!"

He then rammed his skull into her forehead before unloading a barrage of punches. He did not even care about the bruises and light amounts of green blood trickling from his arms as a result. If he could defeat someone as strong as Kommo-o, he could at least keep this up until the bitter end.

However, Lele refused to let this get to her as she sighed, "You annoy me," and threw her arms forward, forcing him away from her with her triangle. She then rammed her body into him before wrapping her arms around him and flipping him upside-down. Finally, she lifted him up and planted his skull into the mat, the crowd gasping.

"If you know what's good for you, you'll stay down," she grunted with a look of anger, "I didn't want to have to hurt you at first, but now I have no problem doing it. But if you give up right now, I won't have a reason to continue."

Caterpie looked up weakly when he noticed a tiny dent in her armour. As hard as it was to believe, despite his lack of muscles combined with the power of island spirits flowing through it, he had somehow managed to damage it. It was light, but it proved that he could destroy it if he tried hard enough. That was all he needed to keep going.

As such, he flipped himself upright and took many deep breaths, grunting, "You can beat me, you can stab me, you could even kill me, but I'll never give up!"

The crowd cheered wildly, one member shouting, "Yeah, you tell her, Caterpie!" another adding, "You rule!" as Lele could not believe what she was hearing. Even so, she took a deep breath and sighed, "Well, suit yourself. I certainly won't kill you, but I won't show you any mercy. It's not my fault you refused it when I offered it."

Chespin, meanwhile, stared Koko down while striking a defensive stance. Now that he had managed to get a couple more good hits in, he could not allow himself to lose. After all, it was just as Koko said. Currently, his track record was not very impressive. So far, his accomplishments included defeating a woman in her forties, knocking out an arrogant loudmouth with another's help and beating on a crybaby. If anything, defeating Litwick was the only impressive thing he had ever done.

With that in mind, he took a deep breath and thought, 'Alright, now that I'm starting to get this, I can't let him deal too many hits to me. I may have gotten over my loss to Lycanroc, but I was pathetic when I fought Palossand and Turtonator. Not this time.'

However, he would need to act fast when Koko raced toward him with his beak-like hands at the ready. Seeing this, Chespin leapt backward only for Koko to fly at him, grasping onto his arms. He then leaned backward and planted the back of his head into the canvas.

"This match has gone on long enough," the rooster stated, "It's high time I bring this to a close."

The crowd watched in fear as his crest became sharper. He then leapt atop the turnbuckle and bounced off of it, folding his legs inward and spinning vertically toward the chipmunk.

"TAPU SWORD!" he spat as Chespin panicked and rolled to the side just in time to avoid it. His panic rose when he noticed that the crest had managed to put a large cut in the middle of the canvas. It was made even worse by the fact that Koko had managed to remove it rather easily while most fighters would have been stuck in place after using something like that.

"Don't tell me," Chespin groaned, "Your weird chicken thingy's been blessed too, hasn't it?" the rooster remarking, "No, I was pretty much born with that ability," the chipmunk thinking, 'Oh, so that's one of his natural powers.'

However, he knew he would need to be on the defensive again when Koko placed both halves of his mask together and flew forward. Electricity surrounded him as he shouted, "WILD CHARGE!" the chipmunk attempting to dodge to the right. Unfortunately, he was not fast enough, thus he took a jolt to the side and cried out in pain.

Koko moved his mask halves away from his face and sent one of them into the chipmunk, shouting, "TRIBAL PUNCH!" as Chespin coughed up blood and fell on his side.

"I admire your spirit, but I knew I would beat you," Koko stated, "The only reason I chose you as my opponent was because I knew you wouldn't take up too much of my time. I'm impressed you managed to prove me wrong there, but that's about it."

With that, he stepped on the chipmunk's ribcage and shifted his foot back and forth with a wicked smile on his face. Seeing this, one member of the crowd stood up and uttered, "Chespin. Chespin."

Another nodded and chanted, "Chespin! Chespin!" a few more audience members rising up and doing the same. While they could not argue against the comments made about his track record, they knew he could win.

This was made especially clear when one shouted, "Hey, Koko, say what you will about Chespin, but he's a lot better than you give him credit for!" another adding, "Did you even see his match with Litwick! She managed to engulf him in her large flame and he still beat her!"

Koko rose an eyebrow and uttered, "What?" as Chespin extended two of his bristles and planted them into his ankle, grunting, "That's right!"

Koko had trouble ignoring the pain this time while the chipmunk rose to his feet and caused him to fall on his back. He then rose his arms in the air and planted them into the rooster's gut, shouting, "I allowed myself to be burned and still came out on top despite being a grass type!"

Chespin proceeded to use the same move a second time while grunting, "I constantly had the odds stacked against me during that match and yet I still won!" delivering a third strike and adding, "That was the moment I knew I was a worthy addition to this team! You may have some scary and fancy tricks, but in the end, I know I can defeat you!"

But just as he sent his hands downward to deliver one last hit, Koko sent a quick jab into his face. The crowd gasped while Chespin groaned. This gave Koko the chance he needed to deliver another jab to his gut, this time sending him high into the air.

"I don't care how good you are!" he barked as he flew up toward and chipmunk and wrapped his arms around him. He then leaned backward and added, "I have the power of the island spirits! Even at the age of forty, I am still better than you and your friends in every way, shape and form!"

With that, the back of Chespin's head hit the canvas hard as he coughed up blood. His eyes rolled to the back of his head when Koko released his hold on him, allowing him to collapse. He took deep breaths and glared at the chipmunk, the crowd staring with concern. Was this it? Had Chespin lost?

Popplio, meanwhile, was more than determined to finish what he had started. After all the damage he took in, he finally saw a ray of hope. There was no way he would lose it.

With that in mind, he rolled up into a ball and sped along the ground, shouting, "CIRCUS BALL!"

Fini smirked and whipped her tentacles toward him while Eevee squealed, "Go for it, Popplio! I'm sure you can hit her again!"

'Not yet,' the seal thought, 'I can't have her throw another tantrum. She was already scary enough the first time that happened.'

It seemed as if the mermaid expected him to aim right for her and thus rather than closing her shell, she readied her hands and hair to counter him. However, she was shocked when he sped right past her and leapt up onto the top rope, bouncing off and shouting, "CIRCUS CANNONBALL!"

"What!?" Fini and Eevee spat when he rammed into the top of her shell. He then retracted back to a normal state and whipped his tail into it before distancing himself just in time to avoid the tentacles. And while it was not yet noticeable to the crowd, the seal could just barely make out a slightly bigger crack forming on the shell.

'Oui,' he thought, 'Now that I've damaged it once, it's much weaker. If I can keep this up, I'll win for sure.'

Fortunately, along with the crowd, Fini had not yet caught on as she sighed, "Just what in God's name was that supposed to accomplish? I mean, I can see why you consider this your only option, but do you even realize how much effort you're wasting every time you attack my shell? I already told you twice, you can't destroy it no matter how hard you try."

Eevee would have expressed agreement, much to her own dismay, but she could tell Popplio knew what he was doing. If anything, the look in his eyes alone was more confident than any other look he had given. Clearly he was aware of something no one else was, and there was no doubt Fini would eat her words by the time the match was over.

Popplio once again advanced toward Fini, and like before, the tentacles came toward him. Luckily, he evaded them once more, leapt up and whacked the shell with his tail. He then used it to propel himself into the air before rolling up into a ball and barking, "CIRCUS CANNONBALL RAIN!"

The crowd was even more confused, but Fini refused to let him continue as she had the tentacles take hold of him. It seemed as if Popplio was spinning too quickly, though, and thus the ends of them came open just like when he used his windmill technique. As such, Fini closed up her shell, figuring he was aiming for her. Thus he wound up ramming into that instead.

The crowd stared in slight confusion when he bounced off of the shell and went back downward, ramming himself repeatedly into it. Due to the name of his move, they figured that perhaps he could not control himself right now, that was until he growled, "Try all you like, but I won't end my assault!"

Soon enough, the crowd along with Eevee finally saw what he meant. That small crack from earlier had finally started to expand, the fox thinking, 'So he knew about that the whole time. So much for island magic.'

Fini, all the while, let out a sigh and grunted, "Seriously, I keep telling you, you're wasting-" only for her eyes to widen when she looked at the roof of the shell and finally saw it. Her eyes and mouth were wide with terror as she spat, "NO!"

The tentacles then took hold of Popplio and applied just enough force to keep him in place. With that, Fini breathed heavily and spat, "I WON'T LET YOU HURT ME AGAIN! NARWHAL JAB!"

Popplio's eyes widened as the tentacles rammed him into the spike. However, even though this caused him to cough up blood, he still ignored the pain and lifted up his flippers, ramming them into the shell. The crowd cheered wildly when the cracks were finally wide enough for the entire top half to crumble into various fragments. Fini tensed up, fear taking over. To make matters worse for her, the loss of the top half caused the tentacles to vanish and thus Popplio was free, a smirk on his face.

"No," she uttered, "I don't get it. How can this happen? My shell was blessed by the island spirits!"

"Well, guess those spirits weren't as powerful as you thought," Popplio remarked while he pushed himself up, Eevee clapping and squealing, "YOU'RE AMAZING, POPPLIO!" before sighing, "Only you could have figured that out."

Upon seeing this on the jumbotron, Mapin's eyes and mouth widened as she thought, 'No way. It can't be. Is she actually going to lose?'

It seemed so when Popplio leapt toward Fini and barked, "Time to repay you for all the damage you've dealt to me throughout this entire match!" before ramming his tail into her forehead. He then sent two karate chops into her shoulders and rammed his skull into her chin, tauntingly quipping, "Not so tough without your shell to protect you, are you!?"

When he noticed her start to look lightheaded, he thought, 'I knew it. She can dish out a lot of pain, but she can't take it.'

With that in mind, he flipped vertically toward the ropes and stretched them back, his flippers up against his sides. Eevee's eyes sparkled while the crowd continued to cheer. There was no doubt about it. Popplio had this in the bag.

But when he launched himself off and shouted, "CIRCUS MISSILE!" Fini shook her head and spat, "NO!" her skin turning red once again, "I WON'T LET YOU GET AWAY WITH THIS! MERMAID ASSAULT!"

With that, she sent her palms and hair into Popplio's skull once he was close enough. But while this did seem to deal damage to him, he ignored it and continued forward, ramming hard into her face. As a result, both fighters flew toward the ropes and stretched them very far back. And soon enough, the material came open as both fell on their backs.

Eevee saw this and gasped, sprinting over to Popplio while the crowd also looked concerned. The seal breathed heavily when he noticed her and smiled lightly, asking, "What's wrong?"

"Are you gonna be alright?" the fox asked as the seal nodded and sighed, "Oui. I just need a petite rest," before closing his eyes and falling asleep. Eevee took a deep breath and turned toward Fini, and sure enough, she was out cold.

'Well, on the upside, one of them has been taken down. I just hope the others are doing okay,' she thought when the TV screens turned on to show how the others were doing.

But while Popplio had managed to defeat Fini, the others were not looking so good right now. Could Lycanroc stand up to Bulu now that his bell was more deadly? Could Caterpie do the same thing to Lele's armour that Popplio did to Fini's shell? And could Chespin so much as get back up?


	76. Chapter 76

Things were finally starting to look up as while Popplio was unconscious, he had also managed to defeat Fini. At the very least, this left the Tapu family and Mapin with one less ally. Unfortunately, it did not look as if the others would get the same kinds of results. While each one had managed to make up for their weak beginnings, those of the Tapu clan had found a way to get the advantage back.

Bulu had struck Lycanroc a few times with his bell, and now that it was bigger and spiky, it dealt much more damage than before. Meanwhile, Caterpie could no longer hurt Lele due to her shell having expanded into a full suit of armour. And while Koko was no different from before, his skills and strength had allowed him to knock Chespin unconscious. Needless to say, things still looked bad for Tokyo's heroes.

Lycanroc tried to rise up after the last strike. However, Bulu would not let her do so as he floated over her and formed a cover on the bottom. With that, he smirked and exclaimed, "BELL ANVIL!" more spikes forming before Lycanroc took it all to her back.

The crowd watched in horror while she coughed up blood, her eyes and mouth wide open. She simply could not believe it. After all this time, she had finally gotten over her biggest weakness and yet it hardly seemed to make a difference.

"This is just sad," Bulu said tauntingly before sending his elbow into the exact same spot, "You became an actual challenge. All I had to do was get a bigger and stronger bell and that was all it took. Now you're just as pathetic as before."

Before Lycanroc could rise, he proceeded to wrap his arms around her neck and ram his tail into her lower back. He then lifted her up into the air and flipped one hundred and eighty degrees, planting the back of her head into the canvas.

The crowd continued to stare while the bull released his hold and allowed Lycanroc to collapse. He then let out a big laugh and exclaimed, "I can't believe it! That's the first time I've ever slammed someone! That felt great!"

The wolf lay on her back and trembled all over. All the while, she gritted her teeth and thought, 'No! I can't lose, not after coming so far! The others are likely counting on me! I can't let it end like this!'

With that in mind, she planted her claws into the mat and applied a strong grip. The crowd watched in awe while Bulu looked confused and uttered, "What are you all staring at?"

His eyes widened when he heard Lycanroc grunt, "Don't you know better than to turn your back to your opponent?" and when he turned, sure enough, the wolf was back on her feet. However, his shock almost immediately left him when he noticed her legs shaking and her right paw clutching onto her left arm. She also breathed heavily while one eye was half-open.

After staring at her for a few seconds, Bulu bit his lower lip and snickered. That small snicker soon grew into heavy laughter as he pointed and spat, "OH MY GOD, THIS IS PRICELESS!"

Even the crowd did not look particularly happy while he added, "You should have stayed down! I mean, seriously, look at you! You're a bruised, battered mess!"

The wolf gritted her teeth as he scoffed, "Look at that! She's trying to look threatening!" before floating over to her, "This is just sad. I could just as easily give you a light shove right now and you'll be out cold."

But as he shifted his arm forward to do so, his eyes widened when Lycanroc lifted up her arm and took hold of his. She then frowned and tightened her hold, planting her claws into his flesh and growling, "Don't take me lightly!"

The bull's eyes widened while he struggled to free himself. However, the wolf's grip was too strong as she spat, "DARKNESS FIST!" planting a hard punch into his face with the purple wind covering her paw. She then sent another one into the same spot while the crowd cheered, barking, "Yes, I feel incredibly weak right now, but I'm not letting you win! My friends are probably doing their best right now to defeat the other members of your family and there's no way in Hell I'm letting them down!"

After taking in a third punch, Bulu spat, "OH MY GOD, YOU'RE CRAZY!" before ramming his bell into her midsection. Unfortunately for him, though, Lycanroc was at a point where she no longer cared about the pain. She simply could not allow Bulu to leave the ring on his own accord.

With that in mind, she sent one last punch into him and sent him flying backwards into the turnbuckle. The crowd cheered wildly when she leapt backward into the ropes with her arms pointed forward. There was no doubt about it. She would win this match no matter what.

"WOLF BULLET!" she spat as she launched herself toward the bull and spun like a drill. Seeing this, Bulu narrowed his eyelids and grunted, "No! I can't let Dad down! I'm too awesome for that!"

As such, he flew toward her with his horns out and yelled, "ARTIST'S STAMPEDE!" his horns and her claws colliding. Sparks flew from both of them while Lycanroc increased the speed of her spin, Bulu's eyes wide with terror when he found himself overpowered.

In the end, Lycanroc managed to send him careening backward into the turnbuckle one last time. And to top it all off, she continued to fly forward until her claws struck his chest. His eyes were wide with both agony and terror as small cuts formed on him. And after a few seconds, his eyes rolled to the back of his head, thus he was finally out cold.

When Lycanroc leapt away from him, she breathed heavily with a light smile on her face. Despite her confidence earlier, she still could not believe that had defeated Bulu. And of course, the crowd was loving every moment of this, the area bursting with cheers and applause. With that in mind, the wolf let down light tears and thought, 'I did it,' before spreading her arms out and falling on her back.

"I hope the others are doing just as well," she sighed when all of the screens turned on. She was certainly happy to see replay footage of Popplio's victory.

Before she could look at the other screens, though, her eyes drifted closed since, just like Popplio, she needed a lot of rest after such a tough fight. And with her having gotten as used to the burns as she had, her nap would certainly be a peaceful one.

Meanwhile, despite Caterpie's boost in confidence, he still had to be careful when Lele rushed toward him. He managed to dodge to the side just in time before sending his tail into her side and distancing himself. And all the while, he thought, 'Okay, let's see. It only took me slamming her a couple of times and getting my arms bloody to finally put a dent in her armour. So by that logic, I should be able to destroy it with a mere thousand hits.'

With that in mind, tears ran from his eyes as his mind added, 'Why couldn't someone else have been her opponent!' Lele sighing, "Try all you like, but you can't beat me anymore."

With that, she formed her pink drill and sped toward the caterpillar, shouting, "FAIRY DRILL!"

Seeing her coming, Caterpie gasped, "Oh yeah, it's still going!" before leaping into the air and thinking, 'That's right! I was able to dodge a good number of Scorchicken's moves, and she's faster!'

With that in mind, he rolled up into a ball and spun vertically toward the snail girl, striking her hard in the chest. However, she easily ignored the pain and stopped her drill. She then placed a firm grip on Caterpie and lifted him up, hurling his back into the canvas.

The crowd continued to watch with concern while he flipped back to his feet, the snail girl narrowing her eyelids. She had gotten really tired of him constantly getting back up. She just wanted to end this match and make Koko proud.

Caterpie took a couple of deep breaths and thought, 'No, there has to be a way to end this more quickly. After all, the main reason it took so many hits before was because most of those hits were mere punches. Maybe if I keep slamming her and attacking from a distance, I could shatter that armour.'

He would need to think up a strategy more quickly when Lele closed in on him with her arms crossed and her hammerheads covering her hands. With that in mind, the caterpillar leapt backward into the ropes and bounced off, once again rolling up into a ball as the snail girl shouted, "FAIRY MALLET!"

But when she swung the hammers at him, he whipped out his string and latched it onto her neck just in time to shift himself upward. Her eyes widened while he pulled himself downward and rammed his skull into her face. Unfortunately, this once again proved ineffective as Lele sent both hammerheads into his cheeks.

The crowd gasped as Caterpie coughed up blood once more. However, he ignored the pain when he noticed he had managed to form another dent. Perhaps destroying at least the armour covering her upper body would not be so hard.

As such, he reeled his tail back and sent it forward into her gut before propelling himself away from her. And sure enough, another dent seemed to form while Lele sighed, "You're certainly persistent."

'Maybe this won't be so hard after all,' the caterpillar thought with a light smile, 'It seems damaging the armour once has made it easier to break. Yes! I might still have a chance!'

Lele had no idea why he looked so happy. It was as if all of his moves had actually brought harm to her. And while she had no idea how much he had accomplished from all of his efforts, it irritated her. Up until this very day, she had always been timid about combat, but right now, she wanted to see Caterpie suffer. She wanted him to bleed by her hands.

With that in mind, she growled and squeaked, "Stop looking so smug!" before forming a transparent pink sword around her right arm, a matching arm shield on her left.

The snail girl shouted, "FAIRY SWORD AND SHIELD!" as Caterpie's confidence once again started to fade. He then groaned and thought, 'Oh no, she's gonna slice me in half, isn't she?'

As strange as it was, she felt strangely tempted to do it. She had never wanted to kill anyone in her life, and yet Caterpie's persistence and inability to stay down angered her just that much. After all, the much more physically strong Turtonator fell in significantly less time, so this made no sense to her.

With that in mind, she raced toward the caterpillar and squeaked, "Stay down this time!" swinging her sword at him as he leaned back just in time to avoid it. She then aimed it toward his belly only for him to roll out of the way. With that, he took a deep breath and thought, 'Okay, time to get more creative!'

He whipped out his string and latched it to her belly before reeling himself upward and shouting, "STRINGSHOT YO-YO!" the snail girl confused by the name until he rammed his skull into her chest and reeled back. He then flew forward and rammed into her again, repeating the same move seven times as she thought, 'Oh, I get it. He moves back then forward, just like a yo-yo.'

The crowd was unsure whether to cheer or not. As far as they were concerned, his attacks really were having no effect. However, that soon changed when a girl pointed forward and exclaimed, "Hey, everyone, look!"

Soon enough, everyone saw exactly what she meant as more and more dents started to appear. Lele looked down and tensed up, uttering, "How?" before receiving another blow, Caterpie grunting, "It seems the power of the island spirits can only take you so far!"

'Oh my god!' Lele thought before taking in another strike, 'That's why he won't stop attacking! His moves are actually damaging my armour!'

At that exact moment, her thirst for blood left her and the fear she felt before facing Turtonator returned. As such, she swung the blade into the string and cut it open only for Caterpie to state, "I'm not letting you stop me anymore! While I may have one victory on my record, I'm still yet to prove myself truly worthy of the team by defeating a villain! You'll be the first!"

With that in mind, he attached his string to her one last time before reeling himself forward and shouting, "STRINGSHOT ASTEROID!"

Lele's eyes widened while she let out a light gasp since this proved just strong enough to send her flying backward into the turnbuckle. To make matters even worse for her, the armour covering her upper body came open, leaving her exposed once more. Now she was far too frightened to even fight back, her sword and shield vanishing.

"It's a real shame," Caterpie sighed, "You honestly don't seem as bad as the others. But I also know you won't give up, so I really don't have much of a choice."

With that in mind, he whipped out his string and latched it to her before lifting her up and shouting, "STRINGSHOT SUPLEX!" planting the back of her head into the canvas.

The area erupted with cheers and applause when Lele coughed up blood, her eyes closed. There was no doubt about it. After all that trouble, Caterpie had won the match.

With that in mind, he took many deep breaths and smiled lightly. However, it seemed as if all the pain he had taken in throughout the match also got the better of him when he fell forward and passed out. But at the same time, his smile was still on his face as he could not have been happier.

The same could not be said for Chespin. During this time, he was still unconscious as Koko folded his arms and said, "Your efforts were certainly admirable. But in the end, it simply wasn't meant to be. May as well see how the others did."

But just as the screens were about to be turned on, the rooster's eyes widened when he heard a certain high-pitched Spanish voice grunting, "Don't count me out just yet!"

He slowly turned to see that, sure enough, Chespin had managed to rise back to his feet and growl, "I bet the others won, anyway. I seriously doubt you'd wanna see those results, now, would you?"

This was it. Koko had spent so much time trying to maintain a calm and collective attitude during matches. And yet Chespin was really starting to grate on his nerves. He had never faced a more annoying opponent in his life.

With that in mind, he placed the halves of his mask together and barked, "Stay down this time!" electricity covering him while he raced toward the chipmunk and shouted, "WILD CHARGE!"

The crowd watched in silence as Chespin blinked and noticed something off about Koko's ability. While his mask may have covered his upper body, but it did not protect his lower body. With that in mind, the chipmunk raced forward a few steps and dove toward his ankles with his arms out, ramming them into those very parts.

Koko's eyes widened as this caused him to trip and fly forward, his beak-like hands running into the turnbuckle. This caused them to bend inward as he separated his mask halves and winced from the light pain. This was all Chespin needed, thus he raced toward him and rammed his shoulder into his back. He then grew his bristles and planted them into the rooster's back, latching onto his shoulders.

"I have to admit, when I first saw you, I thought you'd be easy pickings," Chespin grunted, "But, well, you managed to prove me wrong. Kind of ironic, isn't it?" Koko's eye twitching as he thought, 'Oh, you cheeky little-'

The chipmunk then leapt into the air and leaned backward before Koko could do anything else and added, "But, in the end, it would seem my youth gives me the advantage."

The crowd cheered when the back of Koko's neck hit the canvas hard, Chespin shouting, "SPIKE SUPLEX!" And for the first time, the rooster coughed up blood as he closed his eyes. The chipmunk released his hold and allowed him to collapse before staring briefly.

After a few seconds, he poked the rooster with one of his bristles. When he received no response, there was no doubt about it. He had won the match. And with that in mind, he beamed bright and rose his arms in the air while the crowd cheered wildly and clapped.

"YEAH!" Chespin squealed, "I'm numero uno! I'm numero-"

His eyes and mouth widened and twitched when he heard Koko's voice groaning, "Shut up." But when he turned to face the rooster, it seemed as if he was unable to move and barely had any consciousness left.

"I'll admit, you really did surprise me," Koko grunted, "But don't get a swelled head over this. I have no doubt in my mind that the rest of my family has taken down your allies, meaning you and Eevee will have to fight them a-"

He was suddenly cut off when the big screens turned on to show replay footage of everyone else's loss. Seeing Fini without the top half of her shell, let alone flying out of the ring and tying with a seal was painful. Witnessing Lele lose to someone whose reputation had been mostly horrible up to that point was even worse. And while Bulu falling to Lycanroc's might was not as hard to process, it was still something Koko did not wish to see.

"I can't believe it," he growled, "You all managed to beat my family. But mark my words, Mapin is still standing. She'll finish what we started and once we're able to fight again, we'll take over this retched planet once and for-"

However, he was cut off when Chespin stomped on his face and sighed, "God, do you ever shut up?" He then turned to the screens with a big smile. While it was a shame he was the only one still conscious after his match, what mattered most was that every member of the Tapu family had been dealt with, meaning Mapin was the only threat that remained.

Seeing all of this herself made the girl furious as she gritted her teeth and growled, "Dammit!" slamming her fist into the guard rail in front of her, "I can't believe they actually lost! They're the most powerful people I know! How the hell can those guys be so strong!? I mean, okay, Popplio doesn't surprise me too much, but Caterpie!? I heard he was supposed to be a loser!"

Machop folded her arms and smirked at her, saying, "It's not too late to back out," Isamu nodding and adding, "Your mother's right. You're the only one left standing. Maybe it's high time you realize-"

"Can it!" Mapin retorted, "Mom, your defeat will be the first step toward avenging my team! Just you wait! You'll wish you never challenged me!"

With that, she got up from her seat and marched out of the area. Just as they had agreed, their match would take place tomorrow. Machop let out a sigh and uttered, "I really hope I'm still good enough to beat her," as Isamu laughed nervously and replied reassuringly, "I'm sure you are, honey."

Even so, Machop had a point. While all of Eevee's friends won, she and Chespin were the only ones still standing. As if that was not enough, Mapin had proven herself insanely powerful now. Needless to say, things would still be tough.


	77. Chapter 77

While things had started off very rough for Tokyo, they were finally looking up. Thanks to the efforts of Eevee's friends, the Tapu Family had been dealt with. Now all that remained was Mapin, though as was seen from her match with Umbreon, defeating her now was easier said than done.

For the time being, though, Eevee and Chespin headed to the hospital to check up on all of their friends. After all, they were all unconscious, even Caterpie and Lycanroc despite none of them having been knocked out by their opponents. This meant that even if Mapin was crazy enough to challenge all of them, it would not make a difference.

Currently, both were looking at Popplio as the fox sighed, "It took all of his energy, but he did it," Chespin nodding and replying, "Yeah, he really is amazing, isn't he? After all, if it wasn't for his influence, I probably wouldn't have done as well as I did."

Eevee nodded since she knew that feeling more than anyone else. But even so, she let out a sigh and said, "Makes me feel a tad guilty. If Machop wins tomorrow, I won't have to do a thing," Chespin sighing, "Yeah, you got really lucky there."

"I know," the fox replied with her arms folded behind her head, "I'm still not sure if I could face Mapin. Even though it was short-lived, I considered her a friend. We got along really well in Hero School."

She remembered back to their first meeting. It was not exactly the most interesting of stories. All Eevee did was approach Mapin, call her cool and introduce herself. But either way, it still meant a lot to her that the girl decided to accept her friendship offer just like that.

While the month went on, the two developed a good bond. Mapin saw how much Eevee struggled when it came to training and always took time out of her own to help her. Sure, her lessons were not as helpful as Popplio's, but it still helped that Mapin was willing to help the fox increase her strength.

And of course, the two always had great conversations. Despite how serious she was about living up to the family name, Mapin always had fun things to talk about. After all, she was related to Machoke who was known to be one of the less serious heroes of his generation.

To see her turn into this partly because of jealousy did not sit right with Eevee. A part of her refused to believe that this was real. She hoped that deep down, Mapin was only pretending to serve evil so she could defeat it from within. But if that were the case, she would have no reason to continue fighting now that the Tapu family had been defeated.

Soon enough, Eevee and Chespin checked up on the others. Lycanroc and Caterpie were both fast asleep, but they also looked happy and content. It made perfect sense. Today was the day both of them defeated their first villains. Needless to say, Eevee could not have been happier for them.

She then checked up on Umbreon and Crabrawler and sighed, "You did a good job, sis," as Chespin nodded and said, "Yeah. I saw most of that match. She did come pretty close."

However, when the two turned to look at Crabrawler, they winced slightly at the sight of his right claw stitched back on. They still could not believe Fini had gone so far as to her her shell to bite it off like that. It was certainly a good thing she no could no longer use it as a weapon.

Soon enough, the duo went to check up on Palossand, Salazzle and Turtonator. The salamander was still covered in the marks, but just as she suspected, they had started to fade. Though it was certainly weird seeing a shovel in a bed with a jar of sand right next to him. Even so, seeing him so bent out of shape was painful.

Though the group was surprised to see Turtonator's eyes open slightly. He blinked upon seeing the two and said, "Oh, hey," before looking around and groaning, "Aw man, I really did lose."

"Yeah, but it's okay," Eevee replied with a light smile, "Caterpie defeated Lele," the turtle staring silently before uttering, "Wow. I heard he got a lot stronger, but damn."

He then sat upright and enquired, "If you don't mind my asking, why are you two here right now anyway?" Chespin and Eevee staring at him with confusion.

After a few seconds, Turtonator smiled lightly and said, "So it's true. Not only was Caterpie able to forgive me for my past, but so are you guys. You cared enough to check up on me in the hospital. I definitely made the right choice when I agreed to switch sides."

Eevee and Chespin beamed before the turtle asked, "Where is Caterpie right now, anyway?" the two explaining what happened to him and the others.

"Wow," the turtle uttered, "I knew the Tapu family would be tough, but to think you guys all just barely managed to pull off a victory. You really are incredible," before smiling at Chespin and adding, "I'm especially impressed that you didn't pass out too. When Palossand and I fought you-"

"Don't finish that statement," the chipmunk retorted with his arms folded, the turtle sighing, "Well, anyway, it's good to know our efforts weren't meaningless. I just hope Machop can defeat Mapin."

With all said and done, Eevee and Chespin left. Luckily, Turtonator would be able to watch the match with them tomorrow. After all, his loss was nowhere near as brutal as that of his friends, hence why he was the only one to recover.

Meanwhile, Machop stepped into the back yard and took a deep breath. She had plenty of equipment with her and used that to train, Isamu watching this and thinking, 'I really hope you know what you're doing. You weren't exactly in tip-top shape when you fought Tsareena.'

He then looked at an old photo of Machop and her friends back in their teen years. Standing next to the girl were a grey dinosaur named Lairon and a blue and red dragon named Garchomp. As it so happened, both of them were the ones who shaped the woman into the hero she was.

'I wish they were still here,' he thought with a sigh, 'I could try and help her train, but I don't have powers like you guys, let alone the creativity. How was it that you always prepared her for matches?'

He then reflected on the many times they helped Machop ready herself or a major fight. They would always do it by practising the basics and then moving on to help her figure out how to avoid an enemy's signature moves. They would do this by finding various creative ways to recreate them and use them on her. And while it was not always a perfect method, it often helped Machop come up with a way around her opponents before each match ended.

Isamu then blinked and said, "You know, I might be able to do this after all."

After a few seconds, Machop took a light rest and said to herself, "Alright, just three minutes then it's up and at 'em again. I can't afford to slack off, not when my match is tomorrow."

Her eyes widened when Isamu entered the area with four fake arms attached to his sides. The woman stared in stunned silence and uttered, "Honey, are you okay?"

"I'm not your Honey, I'm Mapin!" the man replied with a serious look in his eyes, Machop biting her lower lip and snickering. The man's eyelids narrowed when she held onto her sides and broke out into hysterics, shouting, "Oh my god! I'm sorry, but you look ridiculous!"

She then rolled on the ground as he sighed, "Come on, I'm trying to help you train!" the woman getting up and saying, "Look, I get what you're doing. That's sweet. But your extra arms are made of paper mache and you're a human. How exactly are you going to recreate our daughter's signature moves?"

"Goddammit," Isamu groaned, "You're right."

He then took the arms off and sighed, "I just really wanted to make sure you were ready for her. She's finally using your moves, but I seriously doubt she'll use them against you."

"Look, it's okay," Machop replied with a light smile, "The only signature move of hers that's really all that complicated is Mach Hurricane, and I've seen her use that multiple times since she invented it, which, by the way, was five years ago. I know what I'm doing. And if push comes to shove, I'll just whip out muscle expansion."

"Um, are you sure you should talk about that so casually?" the man remarked, "I mean, you know you can't use that move too much otherwise you'll lose a considerable amount of energy."

Machop sighed, "Yeah, that's right. But on the upside, just like the family power, Mapin hasn't figured that one out, let alone the Mach Cover. Now I'm kinda glad I didn't try to teach her that one. Granted, it doesn't really work for me, but you know."

With that, Isamu smiled and said, "Well, I have faith in you. You may not be as youthful as you once were, but you'll always be my hero. Promise me you'll show me those miracles you used to pull off all the time back in the day."

Machop nodded with a cute grin and replied, "You betcha," as the two pounded their fists together.

At that moment, they heard a ring on the doorbell. Isamu said, "You keep training. I'll answer it," Machop nodding and replying, "If it's that salesman again, sock him one for me, alright?"

The man opened the door and was shocked to see Eevee and Chespin there. However, he soon smiled and invited them in. And sure enough, when he led them to the back, Machop was more than happy to see them.

"So, what brings you here?" she asked, Chespin replying, "We figured we'd help you train. It's the least we can do, right?"

Machop beamed bright and said, "Hey, Isamu, your plan might actually work after all," Eevee blinking and uttering, "What plan?"

Soon enough, the fox was balanced on Chespin's shoulders with one extra pair of arms strapped to her waist. She then laughed nervously and asked, "Are you sure this'll work?" the chipmunk saying, "I dunno, I think this is kinda cool. We're like a totem pole," before spreading his arms out and doing a weird tribal chant.

Machop snickered and said, "That's the spirit. Now come at me. Eevee, you saw her moves in action. You remember how they work, right?"

Eevee nodded before Chespin raced toward her. With that, they wrapped their arms around her, Chespin whipping the middle two into place first. They then flipped her over and leapt into the air. Due to their light weight, this was a lot easier than they thought it would be, thus they spun around and shouted, "MACH HURRICANE!"

Machop pried her arms out and threw them upward, planting her palms into the grass to stop her collision with the ground. Seeing this, Isamu clapped and exclaimed, "Way to go, honey! You are ready for this!"

But when Chespin and Eevee let go, the chipmunk sighed, "Well, yeah, but our arms are kinda scrawny compared to Mapin's," Machop sighing, "Dammit, he's right."

"Chespin!" Eevee scolded only for the woman to shake her head and groan, "No, he's right. It's kinda hard to emulate my daughter's physical strength, especially with paper arms. But you know what? I fought the equivalent of my grandpa in his prime, I can overcome this."

"Oh yeah," Isamu replied, "I almost forgot about that," Eevee and Chespin looking curious as he added, "See, in the semi-finals of the Hero Olympics, she was set to fight Gallador. But an old villain named Ditta took his place and fought her in the form of Machamp. She took on all of his abilities and even his weaknesses. And keep in mind, he had four arms and it was said his physical strength matched that of Mapin."

Eevee blinked while Chespin beamed and replied, "Cool. You don't even need our help then," as Machop sighed, "Well, that was in my teen years, but yeah, you know what? If I could handle that, then I might just be more ready than I thought I was. But I could still use a sparring partner or two."

With that in mind, Eevee and Chespin helped her train until eight in the evening. And soon enough, they were off as they waved to her and wished her the best. Needless to say, Machop was beyond grateful that they stopped by.

She took a deep breath and said, "You know, Isamu, I was a little scared, but after that, I feel fine."

Isamu nodded and kissed her on the cheek before replying, "Yeah, I just know we'll have our little girl back soon enough."

With all said and done, night time soon rolled around. Eevee crawled under her covers and looked up at the ceiling. She really hoped things would turn out as well as they thought they would. After all, who was to say Mapin would return to the side of good if Machop won?

Machop was thinking the same thing. She started to toss and turn before Isamu rubbed her shoulder. He knew exactly what she was going through. While she may have been confident in her skills now, she still felt bad about having to face her own daughter in combat. There was a time where she had to do something very similar back in the day, but that did not end particularly well.

Even so, she had to look on the bright side. As such, she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep. She would need all the energy she could get.

Meanwhile, in a cave, Mapin had finished using various rock formations as practice dummies. She then took a deep breath and growled, "Just you wait, Mom! Soon enough, that'll be your face! You just had to be world champion and put all that pressure on me! You're just the worst!"

She then folded her legs and added, "Mark my words, Tapu Koko, I'll bust you and your family out of prison. Then together, we can make this entire world suffer for being so judgemental. Once I take down both of Tokyo's greatest, no one will be able to stop me."

Once morning came, everyone got up bright and early. After all, this was when Machop and Mapin were to face off. The tensions were high as Yukiko took a seat behind the desk, the seats filled.

Eevee, Chespin and Turtonator sat in the front row while the chipmunk said, "You know, I was scared before, but I'm actually kind of excited. We'll get to see Machop in action."

Eevee turned to him and uttered, "But we already saw her in action when she and Torchic fought Venipede and Rinko," the chipmunk remarking, "True, but that wasn't one-on-one."

The fox shrugged while Turtonator stated, "I just really hope this doesn't end horribly. Even if Machop wins, there's no guarantee that Mapin will turn back to the side of good."

"Yeah, that's what really worries me," Eevee sighed, "If she wins, she and the Tapu family will take over. But if she loses, she might spend her life behind bars. I don't want either," as Chespin patted her on the shoulder.

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen!" Yukiko exclaimed, "Man, was yesterday intense or what? Well, luckily for us, the Tapu family has been dealt with, leaving Mapin as their only representative. However, she's not facing any ordinary opponent today! Her mother has temporarily come out of retirement to teach her a lesson!"

The crowd was beyond excited as many who grew up in her era shouted, "YEAH! MACHOP RULES!" a thirty-year-old woman squealing, "I remember when she saved us all from Slurpuff! It was so cool!"

"In the red corner, a former hero who has unfortunately chosen to fight for the side of evil," Yukiko stated, "She has certainly proven herself by defeating Umbreon, and she comes here today to let the world see more of what she's capable of! Mapin, everyone!"

The crowd watched in silence when the girl marched toward the ring. Eevee gave her a sad look while Chespin and Turtonator had no idea how to react.

When the girl saw the fox's face, she felt a twinge of guilt. However, that soon left her as she shook her head and thought, 'Focus! This is worth it!'

She then entered the ring and rose her arms in the air, shouting, "FEAR ME!" the people too scared to even boo her. Some of them even felt a little bad about the very idea considering they used to see her as a friend.

Yukiko took a deep breath and added, "And in the blue corner, a blast from the past here to grace us with her presence! Though she has gotten weaker with age, she has still mustered up the courage to take on this titan of the ring! Give it up for the former champion of the world, Machop!"

The crowd went wild when the woman marched toward the ring. Tied to her head and wrists were a headband and wristbands, each red with flames drawn on them. These were clothes passed down through her family for generations, but they were always saved for the most important matches. And this was certainly important.

When the woman entered the ring, Mapin shrugged and scoffed, "What? Not gonna give one of your famous entrances, you know, those stupid and embarrassing ones Lairon always told you would help you fight better? Lord knows you could use some stress relief at your age!"

"Don't talk to me like I'm a senior yet!" Machop retorted, "Besides, those entrances are only used for the less important matches. This is far too important for one of those."

The crowd cheered wildly as many remembered how Machop had only used a completely dignified entrance when she fought Slurpuff in the Olympic finals. It was also a similar case with her father, Machoke, who saved his more serious entrances for Lucario, Giratina and the Demonic Angels, Hoopa and Diancie.

Tensions rose when clouds formed overhead. The crowd's excitement had never been higher. To think they were about to see the legendary Machop face her own daughter in combat. This would certainly be an event for the ages.


	78. Chapter 78

After all the anticipation, with everything so close to being over, Machop and Mapin were just about to fight. The crowd watched with anticipation when both walked to separate sides of the ring, Yukiko nodding and saying, "Well, folks, the combatants are set. So, without further ado, let us begin."

With that, she rang the bell and Machop and Mapin both gazed at one-another but did not move. After all, much like Eevee, both had been taught to use their heads in combat by their mentors. Neither was going to rush in blindly.

After a few seconds, though, Mapin got tired of waiting and said, "You know, Mom, since you're older than me, I figure it's only fair to let you get in the first hit. So, go on, come at me," spreading her arms out as Machop thought, 'Oh no, I'm not falling for that.'

With that in mind, she smirked and remarked, "What's wrong? Afraid you can't hit me unless I barrel into danger without thinking?" Mapin gritting her teeth while anger seemed to get the better of her.

As such, the girl raced toward Machop and spat, "Alright, but don't forget, you asked for this!" preparing to punch the woman. But once she closed in, Machop stepped to the side and sent a roundhouse into her gut.

Mapin's eyes widened, not so much because she had gotten hit but because of how much it hurt. How could someone who had weakened with age be this strong?

It only got worse for her when Machop sent another kick into her shin and swerved behind her. She then wrapped her arms around her upper body to trap those particular arms in place and said, "Can't have you countering this, now, can we?"

The crowd cheered wildly as the woman lifted her daughter up and leaned backward, planting the back of her neck into the canvas. Seeing this, Yukiko exclaimed, "And even after all these years, Machop can still kick major ass as she lowers Mapin's guard with a couple of kicks and connects a suplex!"

"Wow!" Eevee squealed with a big smile, "She had everything thought out!" Chespin uttering, "I just can't believe that actually worked. Mapin should have been able to free herself from that easily."

"You're right," Turtonator replied with his arms folded, "She easily could have overpowered that. I think she was just spellbound by how strong her mother is even after all this time. She expected a much easier match, so to get a legitimate challenge is a shock to say the least."

After releasing her hold and allowing Mapin to collapse, Machop sent her elbow into her gut and distanced herself, the cheers louder than before. Even they could not believe how well she was doing so far. Perhaps the woman did stand a chance after all.

Mapin rose to her feet and growled, "Don't get a swelled head! I went easy on you!" before sending all three of her arms toward Machop. However, the woman backed up just in time to dodge them and sent a karate chop of her own into the girl's neck.

"And Machop continues to amaze!" Yukiko exclaimed with a big smile, "She easily dodges three karate chops at once and retaliates with her own chop!" the woman continuing her assault by ramming her skull into her daughter's chin.

When Mapin backed up, she rubbed that very spot and thought, 'How? How in the hell is she so good! How did she lose to Tsareena!? Compared to the teachers on Hero Planet, she's amazing! Golem wasn't this-'

She then shook her head as her mind added, 'No! She just got in a few lucky hits, that's all! I just need to get my head in the game! I have youth on my side and I'm three times stronger than she was back in the day!'

With that in mind, the girl sighed, "Don't think for a minute that I'm impressed, Mom. Those hits were pathetic. I only let you hit me to build up your expectations. Now I'm gonna topple them!"

Machop smirked since she could tell the girl was lying. Even so, this certainly gave her more confidence. Now she knew for sure that victory was possible. And with that in mind, she raced toward Mapin with her arms at the ready.

Mapin knew she could not let her mother get in another hit. As such, she leapt toward her with her right arms spread out and shouted, "TRIPLE MOON HOOK!" pressing all three up against each other and sending them into a spellbound Machop's neck.

While this move was powerful enough on its own, the added force of two extra arms only made it worse. As such, Machop's eyes and mouth widened as she coughed up a little bit of blood. And after she fell on her back, Mapin leapt into the air and spat, "Now I'll show you a real elbow drop!" planting those very parts into the woman's torso.

The crowd gasped as Machop was already suffering from only two hits. Perhaps her age had gotten the better of her, Isamu rising and shouting, "HONEY!"

"Oh my god," Eevee whimpered, "It only took one hit to draw blood," while Chespin embraced Turtonator's arm and trembled. Even the turtle could not help but feel a twinge of fear. All that potential Machop showed before seemed to have left her as soon as she succumbed to the Beaulieu family's version of a flying clothesline.

Mapin smirked and backed up, saying, "Look at you. You looked so prepared for this, but deep down, you knew you couldn't win. Since you're family, I'll consider showing mercy on you if you give up right now. Just admit that I'm the better Mach and this can all come to an end."

Machop gritted her teeth and growled, "No. You can tare me limb from limb, but you'll never be the better Mach," as she propelled herself up with her leg stretched out and shouted, "MOON LARIAT!"

Mapin's eyes widened as she was once again caught off guard. As such, she took the leg to her neck and backed up. Unfortunately, though, this did not knock her down, thus she took hold of the woman's leg and sighed, "Pathetic."

She then flung Machop head-first into the turnbuckle. A smirk formed on her face while she quipped, "That's the amazing lariat version of the Moon Hook? It's not that impressive."

Eevee squeaked, "Machop!" Turtonator sighing, "Dammit. She was doing surprisingly well, too. I guess it was a lot to expect her to defeat her daughter, especially when she has youth and extra arms on her side."

"Don't say that!" Eevee retorted, "I have no doubt in my mind that Machop can turn this around! She wouldn't be the first."

Chespin and Turtonator gave her an odd look, thus she explained, "That's right. I did a little research on similar cases and discovered something incredible. It was back in Machoke's day when Giratina needed to rest up in the Reverse World to regain his power. Standing guard was a towering monster known as Tyranitar, and guess who fought him in order to allow the others to enter without any problems?"

"Machamp?" Chespin uttered only for Eevee to shake her head and reply, "No, it was Gardevoir's aunt, Psyla. Not only was she in her fifties but she was skinny and weak. And yet not only was she able to stand up to Tyranitar, she ended up beating him. Of course, she also strained herself badly and died as a result."

All three groaned and really hoped the same thing would not happen to Machop. They wanted her to win, but the last thing they wanted was for her to die in order to make it happen.

Even so, that still looked unlikely when Mapin marched over to Machop and wrapped her arms around her. She then locked her arms and legs in place with her upper and lower arms respectively and shouted, "Let me show you a real suplex!"

The crowd gasped when Mapin leapt into the air and leaned backward, shouting, "MACH SUPLEX!" the back of Machop's neck hitting the canvas as she coughed up blood.

Isamu stared with panic and thought, 'Oh no! Come on, Machop! Show me a miracle! You're so good at that!'

However, it started to look highly unlikely when Mapin allowed the woman to collapse. She then smirked and lifted her up, saying, "Well, looks like you're too shaken up. It's a shame to end this so soon, but you made the mistake of challenging me at your age. You may not be old enough to be a grandmother, but it's not like you're that much stronger."

She flipped Machop upside-down and leapt into the air, wrapping her arms and legs around her. The crowd watched as she exclaimed, "ULTIMATE DRIVER!" planting the woman's skull into the mat.

Yukiko could not even announce this when Machop coughed up even more blood. It seemed as if Mapin was right. Challenging her was a big mistake for the woman and now she was paying for it. What could she possibly do?

"I have to hand it to you, Mom," Mapin said with a smirk, "You certainly put up a better fight than I thought you would. Too bad that still wasn't enough."

The crowd stared silently while Machop lay there with her eyes closed. Could it be? Was the match already over?

It seemed so when Yukiko took a deep breath and stated, "Well, folks, Machop put up a decent effort, but in the end, our winner is-"

"NO!" belted a familiar voice as everyone stared in shock. Mapin's eyes and mouth were wide open when Machop once again propelled herself up, only this time latching her ankles to the girl's neck. She then leapt high into the air and flipped her over so her head was facing the mat, taking hold of her neck again while using her hands to spread her legs out.

"It's flattering that you thought you could finish me off with the Ultimate Driver," she grunted, "But I can handle it. It's funny, after all the years of living under my roof, you've still never fought a member of the Mach family before."

Mapin was just about to counter before hearing these very words. Deep down, she knew her mother was right. She never even considered how much the woman could handle for she had never faced her before. As such, she allowed her skull to hit the mat as Machop shouted, "METEOR WARHEAD!"

The crowd went wild while Yukiko exclaimed, "And after taking in all kinds of abuse, Machop gets the advantage back with the last solo move invented by her mother, Gardevoir! It is truly astounding just how much damage she's managed to deal with all of her moves so far, but I don't think anyone would dare to complain about this!"

Eevee breathed a sigh of relief while Chespin squealed, "Yeah! Way to go!"

"Damn, she's amazing," Turtonator uttered, "It's just like Mapin said. The fact that Machop has even lasted this long is amazing in itself, but to think she can deal this much damage."

Isamu's eyes sparkled while he shouted, "Yeah! That's the hero I married!" the rest of the crowd giving an encore.

And it did not end there as Machop waited for Mapin to rise before sending an onslaught of punches into her face. She then took hold of the girl's arms and fell backward, planting her foot into her gut and sending her flying high into the air.

"You'd better be afraid right now!" Machop exclaimed, "This was the first move your grandpa created and it managed to bring down Talonflame when nothing else could!"

She raced toward the rope and bounced off, rolling up into a ball and spinning vertically into Mapin's back. She then retracted back to normal and reached her arms and legs back. And after latching onto the girl's hands and ankles, she spun like a wheel and descended toward the mat.

"Oh my god!" Yukiko exclaimed, "We're about to see one of the Mach family's most powerful finishing moves!" as Machop shouted, "SUNSET SLAM!"

Mapin's belly hit the canvas hard. As such, she was shocked when she coughed up blood. And to top it off, Machop placed a firm grip on the back of her head and slammed her face into the canvas. Needless to say, Eevee and her friends were speechless. They had heard of this move before, but they never dreamt that they would see it up close.

It seemed as if it would not end there, though, as Machop smirked and said, "I know that wasn't enough to end this, so it's time for you to face the second move your grandpa made."

She then wrapped her ankles around Mapin's a second time and pulled back on her upper arms before leaping high into the air. The crowd's excitement grew when she flipped one hundred and eighty degrees and pulled harder, applying extra pain to the girl's back. She then spun quickly enough to form a tornado around the two and shouted, "MUSCLE TORNADO!"

Sure enough, Mapin's face hit the canvas hard as her nostrils were now bleeding. The crowd cheered louder than before while Eevee squealed, "That was so cool!"

Isamu folded his arms and sighed with relief. He had a big smile on his face while he thought, 'That's right, Machop. After all these years, you're still amazing. You might be able to end this after all.'

However, it seemed as if both of those moves had taken quite a bit out of Machop. She found herself breathing pretty heavily while thinking, 'Mapin may be tough, she may be a Mach, but there's no way she can get up from that. And at the very least, hopefully she's learned her lesson.'

However, her eyes widened when she noticed Mapin twitch. The woman tensed up and slowly shook her head while her daughter rose back to her feet. But just as she was about to prepare another attack, Mapin held out her arm and gasped, "Wait!"

The woman stared silently as she sighed, "Look, Mom, as much as it pains me to admit it, you were right," the crowd just as surprised, "Maybe I really am in over my head. I'm finally the fighter I always wanted to be, and look what I'm using my skills for. So far, I've put an innocent person in the hospital, and I was actually considering doing the same to you, my own mother."

Isamu smiled light while Eevee and her friends beamed bright. And all the while, Mapin continued, "I guess what I'm saying is, well, I'm sorry Mom. I was a fool to let Tapu Koko manipulate me like that. Besides, what was I gonna do after this match anyway, take on the entire world?"

Machop let down a light tear and sniffed, "I'm just glad I don't have to hurt you anymore," both opening their arms and holding one-another in a tight embrace. The audience let out a collective 'aw' while Yukiko stated, "It would seem this match has come to a close. Mapin has given up, therefor our winner is-"

However, many gasps were heard from the crowd when Mapin smirked and tightened her grip on Machop. She clenched her hands into fists and applied extra force for a bear hug and scoffed, "I knew it! I knew you'd fall for that easily!"

"MAPIN, WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" Eevee squeaked as the girl grinned wickedly at her and retorted, "Easy. I'm getting the upper hand back, just like a true Mach would."

"No," Isamu retorted, "You're wrong! A Mach would never resort to dirty tactics to get the advantage back!" only for Mapin to sigh, "And that's why I was destined to win this match from the start."

With that, she leaned backward and planted Machop's skull into the canvas. She continued to hold on as she flipped herself over and set the woman up for another suplex. But just as she was about to do so, Machop spat, "NO! I WON'T LET YOU DO THIS!"

She let out a loud battle cry while her muscles expanded in size. Mapin's eyes widened as it seemed as if Machop would break free thanks to her family's infamous muscle expansion technique. But it seemed as if fate was on her side when a certain purple glow encompassed her hands.

"Oh shit!" Eevee cursed while Isamu hid his face in his palms. He could not watch since he knew exactly what was coming.

And sure enough, the family power was just enough enough to force Machop's muscle mass back to normal. And since she tried it in the first place, she had even less energy. With that in mind, Mapin smirked and said, "Sorry, Mom. Guess it isn't your lucky day after all."

She then leapt high into the air and held the woman upside-down. She then took hold of her ankles, planted her middle fists into her back, latched onto her arms and wrapped her legs around her neck. The area went silent while Yukiko was at a loss for words. Everyone could tell how this would all play out and they were terrified.

"Well, Mom, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't genuinely surprised," Mapin stated, "Seriously, it's almost painful how close you came to beating me. The reason I say almost is because, hey, at least it makes my victory that much more satisfying."

And with all said and done, she descended toward the mat and shouted, "MACH LIGHTNING!" the back of Machop's head hitting the canvas hard as she coughed up blood. Her eyes closed as she let down light tears. And when Mapin let go and allowed her to collapse, there was no doubt about it. She was out cold.

Isamu shook his head and uttered, "Machop, Honey, are you okay?" Eevee, Chespin and Turtonator both scared out of their minds. And sure enough, their fears were justified when Yukiko rang the bell and exclaimed, "And after a very intense match, Machop is down for the count! Therefor Mapin is our winner!"

Panic spread through the area while medics rushed into the area to take care of Machop. Mapin narrowed her eyelids and thought, 'You're lucky you're family otherwise I would have taken this opportunity to kill you.'

She then turned toward Eevee as her mind added, 'You, on the other hand, will be my first true victim,' the girl making a neck-slitting motion with her finger.

The fox tensed up and whimpered, "Now I have to fight her, don't I?" Chespin nodding with concern. Seeing just how strong Mapin was, even he had his doubts. After all, Eevee was not exactly happy with the idea of having to face the girl.


	79. Chapter 79

Just as things were finally looking up, they had taken an awful turn. Despite her best efforts, Machop was unable to stop Mapin and as such was loaded up into the back of an ambulance to be rushed to the hospital. And to make matters worse, Eevee was the last one standing in the girl's way of her takeover of Tokyo.

Mapin folded her arms and grinned, saying, "You thought you could get out of having to face me, but I will not rest easy knowing that you're still standing. You who took the reputation that was rightfully mine. You who pretended to be my best friend."

"But I did consider you a friend!" Eevee protested only for the girl to sigh, "I'm through talking about this. We'll settle everything in the ring tomorrow, only we'll hold the match at ten PM instead of early morning. It'll make things more dramatic."

Eevee blinked before Chespin shrugged and said, "Well, she's not wrong there," as Turtonator let out a sigh. He just hoped that the others would be awake to help cheer the fox on when the day came.

"Oh, before I go and get some rest-" Mapin stated, "I've decided I don't want to fight you here. Instead, I want to face you in the same location where Koko fell. That's right, I'm facing you on the very top of that mountain."

Chespin tensed up and uttered, "Oh god, I think I know why she wants to fight there of all places," Turtonator saying, "Eevee, you'll need to be really careful. I don't think she plans on just winning."

Eevee gulped nervously and felt scared. She could not remember the last time she feared entering the ring. Not only was Tokyo's freedom at stake, but so was her life. And as if that was not enough, she was not sure if she could defeat Mapin.

Chespin patted her on the shoulder and said, "Hey, it's okay. We're here for you," Turtonator nodding and adding, "That's right. We'll help you prepare for this. By the time we're done, you'll be more than ready to fight Mapin, even if she does have superior strength and more arms."

Chespin shook his head at him while Eevee chuckled lightly and replied, "Thanks. You guys are awesome," giving the chipmunk and the turtle's leg a hug.

Even so, before they could even think of preparing for the match, the trio headed to the hospital to not only check up on Machop but everyone else. And when they went to see the woman, they noticed Isamu seated next to her and sighing, "Don't feel bad, honey. You did an amazing job out there. I think you were really close to getting through to her."

"Hey, how bad is it?" Eevee enquired before the man turned to her and said, "Thank you for coming. And don't worry too much. Machop's dealt with tough opponents many times. She'll be up and at it in no time."

Eevee nodded when suddenly, Isamu turned to her and placed a firm grip on her shoulders. He looked deep into her eyes and stated, "Eevee, I know this is a lot to ask, but you must promise me that you will do your best to snap our daughter back to her senses. I know it's really hard having to face someone who was once a great friend to you, but right now, she is the enemy. I could tell Machop would have rather not faced her back there and yet she still did her best. I want you to do the same for us."

Eevee gazed into his eyes with slight fear. However, after a few seconds, she smiled, nodded and replied, "I promise. I can't allow Mapin to succeed, even if she was once a really good friend. And hey, if I win, I might be able to restore our friendship, right?"

Isamu nodded with a light smile and turned back to his wife. Chespin and Turtonator patted the fox on the shoulders with smiles of their own. After all Mapin had done, Eevee could not allow her emotions to get the better of her.

She then went to check up on the others. And unfortunately, they were all still unconscious. Luckily, though, it had been confirmed that at the very least, Caterpie and Lycanroc would wake up in time to see her match tomorrow. It was unknown whether or not Popplio would be so lucky since he had actually been knocked out at the same time as Fini.

Though one guarantee was that Turtonator was the only member of Palossand's group who would be able to attend. And there was no guarantee that Crabrawler and Umbreon would make it either.

Even so, Eevee had to accept this. After all, none of her friends had been there to cheer her on when she faced Decidueye and she still did a great job. All she could do was try her best, just like she said she would.

With that in mind, the group headed to Chespin's shack since he had a small shed next to it. This made for a good place to train in private thanks to the fairly big space and decent equipment.

Eevee was currently in the middle of a sparring match with Chespin. She seemed to be doing a fairly good job when she sent a kick into his midsection. But just as she was ready to take it a step further, she suddenly imagined Mapin's head on his shoulders.

As such, she hesitated briefly and gave the chipmunk a perfect opportunity to punch her in the face. She bit her lower lip and backed up, Chespin uttering, "Eevee, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Eevee replied with a look of uncertainty, Turtonator sighing, "You're still letting your friendship with Mapin get the better of you, aren't you?"

Chespin blinked and uttered, "Is that true?" Eevee taking a deep breath and sighing, "Yeah, I know. I really shouldn't let this get to me so much. Thinking about the way she switched sides for such a dumb reason really pisses me off, but I can't stop thinking about the good times we had."

The chipmunk and turtle stared at her briefly. They then let out a sigh as Chespin walked over to her and smacked her in the face, barking, "For god's sake, Eevee, get your head in the game!"

Even Turtonator was surprised while Eevee rubbed her cheek and stared at him with shock. He took a deep breath and grunted, "Seriously, did you see the same match I did!? Remember how Mapin tricked Machop into lowering her guard!? Remember how she made us all think she was coming back to our side only to completely screw with us!? Are you really just going to forgive her for that so easily!?"

Eevee looked down when the chipmunk snapped, "Well, are you!?" the fox shaking her head as he added, "I can't hear you!"

"No!" Eevee squeaked with anger and tears in her eyes, "You're right! You're absolutely right! The only way I could ever forgive her for something so despicable is if she finally admits she was wrong and rejoins the team! Oh, and giving Machop the best apology ever certainly wouldn't hurt. Once Yukiko rings that bell, I'm gonna run over to Mapin and sock her in the face!"

"Well, that might not be the best opening strategy," Turtonator replied, "But that is certainly a good mindset to have right now. After the kinds of opponents you've beaten over the past, there's no doubt in my mind that you have what it takes to defeat Mapin."

With that in mind, the fox continued to train with her friends. And now that her head was in the game for good, she no longer held back. Chespin and Turtonator were actually scared by the way she went all-out against them, but they were happy to see that spirit they expected from her.

The rest of the day seemed to fly by with Eevee getting in all sorts of training. Though she would certainly need to be careful since Mapin was not exactly lazing around during that time. She was also hard at work, rarely giving herself any breaks. After all, she knew full well that Eevee was no longer as weak as she looked.

And once night rolled around, both were lying in bed. Mapin had a smiled on her face while she dreamt of the look on Eevee's face when she inevitably won.

Eevee, on the other hand, had not quite gone to sleep yet. She stared up at the ceiling and thought, 'Please, Mapin, realize your mistake. I don't want you to spend your life in prison. It would be so awesome to have you back with us. I wouldn't even care if you were still a lousy fighter. I just want my friend back.'

Even so, she had to clear her head and relinquish those thoughts in the ring. It was like she said. The only way she would ever forgive Mapin for all of this was if she apologized to at least Machop, admitted she was wrong and rejoined the group. But it seemed that the only way to get through to her was with force.

The following day, as was predicted, Lycanroc and Caterpie had managed to make a full recovery. Strangely enough, though, while Salazzle's markings had vanished shortly after her fight with Bulu, Lycanroc still had them on her paws. The ones on her torso, on the other hand, had faded away.

Currently, the couple was headed to Eevee's house to check up on her while Lycanroc looked at her paws and asked, "So, you're sure this isn't unattractive?" Caterpie nodding and replying, "I think they look cool. They're a sign of how awesome you are."

The wolf blushed lightly and squealed, "You're the best!" picking him up for a tight embrace before uttering, "Though I wonder why the markings on my hands are permanent while the rest of my bod is just fine."

The important thing was that the markings no longer burned her, so she and Caterpie dropped the subject right there. And soon enough, they arrived at Eevee's door only to see a sign stating that she was currently at Chespin's and would not be back until after her match with Mapin. With that in mind, the couple headed there instead, figuring the girl must be hard at work.

And sure enough, that was exactly what was going on as Eevee and Turtonator were currently in the middle of their own sparring match. The turtle whipped out his flaming tongue only for the fox to leap over it and roll up into a ball, squealing, "FLYING FOX WHEEL!"

She then rammed into his chin as he backed up and rubbed it, saying, "Not bad. Not as good as when you boost yourself off of the ropes, but not bad."

Eevee folded her arms and grumbled, "Well, I thought I was just as badass," Chespin laughing and patting her on the shoulder. Both were worried her spirit might leave her overnight, so it was refreshing to see her taking this as seriously as she was.

At that moment, they heard a knock on the door. Chespin blinked and approached it, opening it up to see Lycanroc and Caterpie there. A big smile formed on his face as he squealed, "Hey! You did make a full recovery!"

Eevee and Turtonator turned with big smiles of their own while Caterpie smiled and said, "I can see you're hard at work."

Eevee raced over to them and hugged them both before asking, "Wait, how did you know we'd be in the shed?" Chespin sighing, "I put a sign on the door saying 'Do not disturb'. How did you not see that?" the fox giving him an odd look. As it so happened, she had not even paid attention to that when she arrived.

Either way, the group was happy to see the wolf and caterpillar there. And of course, both were more than happy to help Eevee train. Though what surprised most of the group very quickly was seeing how much pain Lycanroc was able to tolerate during their sparring session.

When Eevee enquired about that, Lycanroc beamed bright and explained, "Yeah, it's awesome. Thanks to Bulu burning my flesh, I can finally tolerate pain just as well as the rest of you guys. I mean, my defensive capabilities still aren't what you'd expect from a rock type, but it's just so nice, you know?"

"So if someone hits you in combat, it won't hinder you as much anymore," Chespin replied with a big smile, "That really is awesome. Just think, if this had been the case when we fought, I would have lost even more easily."

Lycanroc laughed nervously as Caterpie nodded and sighed, "I still can't believe we all managed to win yesterday. Seriously, that Lele was vicious," the wolf smiling and replying, "Yeah, but not too vicious for the new and improved future chairman, right?"

Caterpie chuckled nervously while Chespin patted him atop the head and said, "She's right. You really went above and beyond. I wish I could have seen it," the caterpillar tapping his chin and nodding in agreement. After all, the fact that someone as short as him was able to shatter armour was no small feat, let alone armour strengthened by island magic.

"So, um, either of you know how Popplio's doing?" Eevee enquired as the others could not help but wonder the same thing. After all, the group did not quite feel complete without him.

"We checked up on him," Lycanroc explained, "According to the doctor, he's still gonna be out for quite a while. I don't think he'll be there to cheer you on during your match."

The fox took a deep breath and nodded slowly. After all, it was not as if Popplio could help it. Not only that, but she had fought Decidueye without anyone there to cheer her on, so it was not as if she was incapable of winning under such circumstances.

With that in mind, she got up and said, "Well, better get back to training. I can't afford to laze about for too long," the others nodding and getting up as well.

During this time, Mapin was currently punching a bag with a painting of Eevee on it. She sent a barrage of hits to the face, shouting, "Oh yeah! You don't like that, do you!? That's gonna be the real you tonight!"

She then sent one more punch that was so hard, it caused the entire top to fly off while sand poured out of the edges. She smirked and folded her arms, saying, "I'll be number one in Tokyo soon enough."

Once ten o'clock rolled around, many were gathered at the top of the mountain where Chespin had fought Koko. Sure, just like before, it was colder here due to the climate. But everyone was fine with this. They were just excited to see Eevee fight for their safety again after so long.

Yukiko stat behind a desk wearing a jacket and stated, "Well, folks, it's finally time. Tonight, we will hold the last match to decide Tokyo's fate. While the Tapu family has been dealt with, Mapin still stands in the way of our heroes. Can Eevee stop her? We're about to find out."

Isamu was currently watching in the hospital. He let out a sigh and thought, 'I really hope so,' while holding Machop's hand.

Of course, Eevee's friends sat in the front and were more than ready to cheer her on. And once the crowd calmed down, Yukiko pointed to the right and exclaimed, "In the red corner, fighting for Japan is a feisty fox! She started off weak, but now she's the best that Tokyo has to offer! With speed, skills and even a good amount of strength, Eevee!"

The crowd cheered wildly when the fox walked into the area with a serious look in her eyes. She had nothing special planned for the entrance. She figured that if Machop felt it best to treat this differently from a typical match, she may as well do the same.

Upon entering the ring, she held her arms in the air and flashed two peace signs. The cheers were louder as Yukiko stated, "Well, this is certainly different. Eevee has treated us to a simpler entrance than usual."

"Yeah, you go, Eevee!" Caterpie shouted, "Show Mapin what happens when you switch to the side of evil!" Lycanroc cheering as well.

Turtonator nodded and said, "She definitely looks ready for this," while Chespin beamed bright.

"And in the blue corner, fighting for the side of evil is the last threat to our freedom," Yukiko stated, "Once on the side of good, she seems lost to us now after the way she roughed up her own mother yesterday. Mapin, everyone!"

At this point, the citizens of Tokyo were no longer afraid to boo and jeer her while she walked toward the ring. It was just as Yukiko said. What the girl had done to Machop was despicable. Beating her in combat was one thing, but to rely on dirty tactics was simply not the Mach family way. Not to mention that the very method she used involved her playing with Machop's emotions.

The girl entered the ring and glared at Eevee, grunting, "Mark my words! By the time this match is over, Tokyo will realize who they should have been cheering for me this whole time!" as Eevee narrowed her eyelids and retorted, "No one's gonna cheer for you even if you do win. Think about it. You haven't earned anyone's respect."

Mapin stared briefly and actually started to consider her words. However, by this point, she felt it was already too late. As such, she sighed, "No, I deserve to be applauded for what I've done. You're all just too foolish to realize it. Once I win and help the Tapu family take over this world, never again will anyone feel pressured into living up to their family name. No one will be judged unfairly for a few mishaps here and there."

Chespin blinked and uttered, "Okay, she brings this up constantly. I have to ask. Who was treating her unfairly?" the audience looking just as confused as he was.

Even so, Mapin ignored this and pointed at Yukiko before barking, "This conversation is over! Let's just begin this match and settle this once and for all!"

Yukiko nodded and stated, "And so, folks, without further ado, it is time to begin the match between Eevee and Mapin," before ringing the bell.


	80. Chapter 80

Once the bell was rung, Eevee raced toward Mapin with her fist at the ready. The girl blinked and stared silently, thinking, 'Wait a minute, I heard she prefers to fight like Popplio now. What is she doing?'

As such, she was unable to respond in time to avoid a hard punch to the face, Chespin and Turtonator staring while the turtle uttered, "Wow, I didn't think she'd try that. And to think it actually worked."

The crowd went wild while Eevee proceeded to latch onto Mapin's shoulders and ram her forehead into her face. She then sent a two-legged kick into her chest as she backed up and breathed heavily, a look of terror on her face. She knew Eevee had gotten better, but she had not expected that to hurt so much.

"Surprised?" Eevee asked with a smirk before Mapin gritted her teeth and growled, "Oh, you bitch! You may have caught me off guard, but don't act so high and mighty! Those hits were nothing!"

With that in mind, she raced toward the fox with her arms at the ready. However, Eevee was prepared as she raced forward a little bit before diving for the girl's ankles. She then held her arms out and successfully managed to trip her, causing her to fall on her belly. The cheers were even louder when the fox planted an axe kick into her back and distanced herself.

"And Eevee's off to an incredible start!" Yukiko exclaimed, "Mapin is yet to deal a single hit while Eevee has already landed five! It's definitely looking favourable, folks!"

But of course, this was far from over as Mapin slowly rose to her feet and breathed heavily with a look of shock. She could not believe that the same fox who once needed her guidance had gotten the drop on her so easily. And needless to say, it filled her with a great deal of rage while she gritted her teeth and clenched her fists together.

"You think you're so hot!?" Mapin growled, "Well, this fight has only just started! You'd better watch yourself!"

Eevee held up a defensive stance when the girl sprinted toward her. But just as she was about to fight back, Mapin lifted up her middle arm and sent it hard into her neck. She then clenched her upper hand into a fist and sent it into the fox's skull before punching her in the gut with her lower fist. Afterwards, she wrapped her middle arms around her and readied her four free fists with a smirk.

"You see?" she asked tauntingly, "Those three hits were so much stronger than anything you've dished out so far, I just know it," Eevee started to panic. She knew exactly what Mapin intended to do, and the crowd could see it as well. Thus they could not help but watch in horror.

"Come on!" Chespin pleaded, "Get out of that hold, Eevee!" the others joining in and cheering her on.

"Morons," Mapin sighed before shouting, "MACH GATLING!" and unleashing a barrage of rapid punches into Eevee. And it was just as she said. Eevee already felt a great deal of pain from the hits she had succumbed to so far. And to make matters worse, she could not escape from the girl's hold.

After dealing twenty hits, Mapin smirked and said, "I could just as easily end it all with this move, but I want to enjoy my revenge. So let's try a new take on an old classic."

With that, she pushed on Eevee's face with her upper hands and her legs with her lower hands. This caused her back to bend as she cried out in pain, Mapin shouting, "MACH BACKBREAKER!"

The crowd watched in terror while Lycanroc cried, "COME ON, EEVEE! YOU CAN DO IT! DON'T LET HER WIN! YOU'VE BEEN IN WORSE SPOTS BEFORE!"

The fox went wide-eyed and gasped, "That's right!" With that, she whipped her tail downward and barely managed to wrap it around Mapin's leg. She then used all her might to once again trip her as she fell on her back this time.

The crowd cheered when the fox leapt toward the ropes and planted her feet against them. Their excitement grew while the material stretched back, Mapin slowly getting up just in time to see the fox fly toward her while spinning and stirring up a strong wind.

"SPINNING FOX TACKLE!" she exclaimed as she planted her paws hard into Mapin's gut. The crowd cheered much louder as the girl's eyes went wide with terror.

"Yeah!" Chespin squealed with a big smile, "I knew she could turn this around! I bet Mapin's never felt a move like that before!"

Caterpie and Lycanroc nodded and joined in with the cheers. And all the while, Turtonator breathed a sigh of relief and thought, 'I knew she wouldn't fall so easily. There had to be a reason she made it so far in the Olympics, after all.'

However, much to Eevee's shock, Mapin managed to spread her legs out and hold her ground. She then placed a firm grip on the fox's waist and grunted, "You call that a finishing move!? How in the hell did you get so good with something so pitiful!?"

The crowd watched in horror as the girl flipped Eevee over and planted her skull into the canvas. As a result, the fox winced in pain and closed her eyes. However, even the crowd and her friends could not believe what happened next when she opened them back up and ignored the pain.

"You're not the only one who can handle strong moves!" she grunted as she placed her paws against the mat and pushed herself up.

Mapin was shocked when the fox overpowered her arms and planted her feet into her face. As a result, the girl let go of her as she latched her ankles to her neck. She then flipped Mapin over and slammed the back of her head into the canvas, the crowd cheering while Yukiko stated, "Mapin may have somehow overcome the Spinning Fox Tackle, but she was not prepared for Eevee's frankensteiner!"

"I have to admit, when I saw Mapin stand up to that, I was pretty scared," Lycanroc uttered, Caterpie nodding and replying, "I know. I'm just impressed Eevee was able to treat a piledriver like it was nothing. I know she can be tough, but she doesn't normally handle pain that well."

Nevertheless, there was no doubt that Mapin would have to try even harder if she was to defeat Eevee. And it made her angry as she flipped back to her feet and growled. How could someone so short and skinny ignore a blow to the head like that?

Whatever the case, Mapin could not let it get to her. As such, she took a deep breath and thought, 'It's okay. Just calm down. She's weaker than you. A few good hits don't mean a thing. You can still win no matter how many times she hits you.'

While this went on, Popplio finally started to wake up as he slowly opened his eyes. He then noticed the screen showing the match and thought, 'Sacre bleu, Eevee's fighting Mapin? That must mean Machop lost. It looks like she's at least hanging in there, but still.'

Mapin smirked and said, "You may think that frankensteiner of yours was something special, but wait until you see what I have in store. As you saw from my match with Mom, I have a plethora of moves that'll knock your socks off. And it's funny, too. All my life, I told myself I would make it big with my own signature moves and yet it was my Mom's own finisher that ultimately defeated her."

Eevee gritted her teeth and hissed, "How about you stop talking about it and prove how effective they are?" the girl frowning and retorting, "Oh, don't worry. I fully intend on that."

With that in mind, she leapt toward Eevee with her arms out and shouted, "TRIPLE MOON HOOK!" the fox leaning backward just in time to avoid it. However, Mapin knew she would do that and lowered her arms, ramming them into her gut as the crowd gasped.

This was all Mapin needed as she lifted up Eevee by her hind legs and hurled her high into the air. She then leapt up to her level and wrapped her upper arms around her legs. She applied her middle arms to the fox's midsection and used her lower arms to force her arms outward. She then wrapped her legs around the area just below Eevee's shoulders and shouted, "MUSCLE TOMBSTONE!"

The crowd gasped when the back of Eevee's head hit the canvas hard. She gasped and coughed up blood for the first time in the entire match, Mapin releasing her hold and allowing her to collapse.

The area went silent while the fox lay there. Could it be? Was the match already over?

"Pitiful," Mapin sighed with her arms folded, "Even after all your improvements, you still can't handle an advanced technique. How did you make it to the semi-finals let alone the Olympics themselves?"

However, her eyes widened when Eevee propelled herself up and planted her feet into her gut. The girl backed up and grunted while the fox flipped backward into the ropes once again. This time when she launched herself off, she tucked herself into a ball and shouted, "Alright, let's see how you handle my first signature move! FLYING FOX WHEEL!"

Mapin readied her hands to counter, but Eevee increased her speed at the last second. As a result, the girl took in a fierce blow to her face and fell on her rear end, the crowd going wild while Yukiko squealed, "It was really close for Eevee, but she once again gets the upper hand back with her infamous Flying Fox Wheel! Even a Mach couldn't resist the pain such a move can inflict!"

Mapin rubbed her face and gritted her teeth, thinking, 'How the hell did she do that? She's just a normal type. She shouldn't be able to increase her speed like this!'

Eevee grinned and asked, "Why do you look so surprised? You've heard of my reputation. Surely you know about all five of my signature moves."

'Five?' Mapin thought with her eyes wide with terror. This only made her angrier as she gritted her teeth and growled, "Dammit! Why couldn't Koko have a TV or a computer!? I could have done research on you!"

"Wait, seriously?" Eevee uttered as the girl sighed, "Yeah, unfortunately, the Tapu family is a little old-school. All they have in their home is a radio with newspapers being the only visual medium they have. So while I am aware of your reputation, I haven't heard of any of the moves you used to gain it."

The fox smirked and thought, 'Oh man, this just got easier. At the very least, she won't know how to counter any of my moves,' as Mapin could not help but think the same thing. Now she was a tad worried that Eevee might have a chance of defeating her.

All the while, Popplio beamed bright and said, "Good job, mon ami. Keep that up and she'll regret ever switching sides."

And of course, Eevee's friends could not help but cheer as Caterpie sighed, "There's that amazing skill that saved my life," Lycanroc nodding and replying, "Yeah. Eevee may be normal, but she's certainly not average," the others staring at her silently.

Things did not end there when the fox leapt at Mapin and sent a two-legged kick into her skull. Unfortunately, the girl ignored it and took hold of her ankles, growling, "So you have some fancy moves! Big friggen deal!"

She then threw her arms downward and slammed Eevee's back into the canvas as Yukiko stated, "And Eevee loses the advantage again as she falls victim to a powerbomb."

Of course this was far from the end of it. Mapin took full advantage of this and continued to hold onto Eevee's ankles. She then lifted her up and spun around, sending her flying toward the turnbuckle with a giant swing.

But just as it looked like Eevee would suffer another blow to the head, she smirked and thought, 'Perfect.'

With that, she took hold of the top of the pole and lifted herself up. She then spun as a small wind surrounded her, taking on the form of a spinning top while the crowd watched in amazement. This was the move she had invented specifically for her match with Umbreon and it seemed as if this time, it might actually succeed.

Mapin stared in stunned silence when Eevee launched herself toward her and squeaked, "SWIRLING MORNING SQUALL!" the girl gasping and folding her arms in front of her face. But while this did seem to hold the fox back for a while, she ultimately found herself overpowered. Her arms were forced outward, thus she took in multiple hits to her chest, Eevee ending her assault with a smirk on her face.

The crowd cheered wildly while she followed it up with a hard punch to Mapin's face. And while this did not knock her down like the Flying Fox Wheel, it did get her to back up while rubbing that very spot.

"As you can see, these moves of mine aren't your typical signature moves," Eevee stated with a smirk, "Each one is based off of the strongest abilities of those before me. Flying Fox Wheel was inspired by Mommy, Spinning Fox Tackle came from my great grandma and Swirling Morning Squall is based on my sister's Swirling Night Blade."

Mapin blinked and stated, "So you also rely on your family's abilities. That's not bad, but it also proves that you're nowhere near my level."

The fox blinked in confusion as the girl added, "Like you, I have started relying on my family's old signature moves. However, what makes me better than you in every way, shape and form is that I've also come up with, well, now five of my own original moves. You only have that many passed down from your family, but I have more than ten of those. You don't stand a chance."

Eevee's eyes widened as she had to admit that Mapin had a point. However, that was soon remedied when Lycanroc spat, "Hey, that's not true! Even if she has more moves, what matters is how effective they are and how you use them! So far, you've landed three while she's only used a couple!"

"Exactly," Caterpie added, "Not only that, but you saw all of her family's moves in action yesterday. Meanwhile, she hasn't seen all of your techniques yet."

Mapin blinked as Eevee nodded and said, "They're right. You may have more arms, muscles and signature moves, but I have spirit and skill. The old me would have lost to you easily, but like you, I've also learned how to use my brain in combat."

The girl growled and grunted, "You won't be so sure of yourself when I'm through with you," before racing toward the fox. Eevee leapt to the right only for Mapin to swing three of her arms toward her, striking her with with elbows. She then wrapped her arms around the fox and flipped her upside-down, shouting, "I dare you to escape from this! This is the first move I ever made and it's much better than that stupid wheel of yours!"

Eevee's friends watched in horror, knowing exactly what was coming. With that, Mapin leapt into the air and spun around while forming a twister around her, shouting, "MACH HURRICANE!"

And just as the girl predicted, Eevee was unable to escape from this hold. As such, her skull hit the canvas hard as she coughed up a bit of blood. Mapin then released her hold and allowed her to collapse, sighing, "And what do you know? You couldn't handle it after all."

The area went silent since just like before, it looked like the match might very well be over. Turtonator stared and uttered, "Do you guys think she'll be okay?"

Chespin nodded and spat, "Come on, Eevee! Remember how much torment you took in from Palossand!" Lycanroc adding, "Not to mention how many times Lugarugan came close to beating you! You still won despite all of that!"

"Exactly," Caterpie added, "I refuse to believe a few strong hits is enough to finish you off," as Mapin smirked and retorted, "Why don't you all save your breath? The fact that she survived this many hits is nothing more than a-"

However, she was cut off when Eevee rose back to her feet and breathed heavily. She then turned to face the girl and grunted, "No, they're right."

Mapin shook her head slowly while the fox added, "They're right. I've faced many powerful opponents over the past. Palossand hit me with a ton of incredible moves. He dealt an onslaught of punches to me and I still came out on top. Lugarugan covered me in cuts and dealt all sorts of other attacks and yet I still beat him. Not to mention Noivern, Decidueye, god, even Drampa, all of them were very powerful opponents. And while I may have lost to Umbreon, I still came very close. I've proven that I can handle strong attacks."

With that in mind, she raced toward Mapin as the girl spat, "BIG DEAL! I'LL JUST PUMMEL YOU UNTIL YOU CAN'T MOVE ANYMORE! MACH SICKLE STORM!" sending a barrage of rapid karate chops toward the fox.

Eevee frowned and thought, 'Too easy,' before finding an opening and leaping forward. And with that, Mapin took her skull to the gut. And it did not end there when the fox wrapped her arms around her and lifted her above her head, planting her chin into the canvas.

The crowd went wild as Yukiko stated, "And despite Mapin's superior strength, Eevee manages to lift her up and deliver a suplex. Even though we have seen it many times, it always amazes me seeing someone so small pull that off."

Eevee would not let it end with that. As such, she sent her elbow into Mapin's back and distanced herself, thinking, 'That's right, I've never gotten good results from submission holds. Best to avoid trying something like that.'

Mapin rose to her feet and grunted, "Well, you certainly weren't blowing smoke. That suplex was actually impressive. But don't forget who taught you how to use one," a smirk forming as the fox narrowed her eyelids.

However, she noticed a brief look of happiness, almost as if Mapin was proud of her for pulling that off. Could it be that the girl was slowly starting to come around? Perhaps Eevee did not need to knock her out after all.

Even so, she could not let her guard down. Mapin was still on the defensive and after all she had managed to dish out so far, it was clear that the fox would still need to be careful.


	81. Chapter 81

So far, the match between Eevee and Mapin seemed like either one's game. Both had pulled out a lot of impressive moves and landed many hits. Many would have argued that the fox had taken in more damage, and yet despite that, she was still holding her own pretty well.

With that in mind, Mapin realized she would need to be more careful now. After all, she had already taken in three of her finishing moves. As such, she folded her arms and raced toward the fox, grunting, "Let's see you counter this!"

Eevee smirked and aimed a kick toward the girl's shin. Unfortunately, after having taken in a blow to both of those parts once, she rose her leg just in time avoid it. She then stomped her foot into the fox's ankle, causing her to wince in pain.

Things only got worse when the girl cupped her hands together and said, "As impressive as it is that you were able to evade my Sickle Storm, I highly doubt you'll be able to do the same for this!"

She then placed all six hands together and sent the bottom two into Eevee's skull. The added pressure from the other hands increased the amount of pain this dealt while the fox gritted her teeth. And things only got worse when she received six palm punches at the same time.

Eevee tried her hardest to pry her leg out only for Mapin to smirk and say, "So you can treat a piledriver like a minor inconvenience and yet me stepping on your ankle is too much, eh? So much for you being tougher than you look."

Seeing this on the screen, Popplio gasped and uttered, "Come on, mon ami. You can get out of this. This is but a minor inconvenience compared to what you've dealt with in the past."

Things got worse when Mapin started to shift her foot back and forth as if she was squishing a bug. However, this also seemed to loosen Eevee's ankle slightly. Thus she knew she would need to act fast and pried it out just in time to avoid having it broken. Not only that, but the force of her pull caused Mapin to lose her balance.

Eevee took full advantage of this and leapt into the air, planting her feet into her chest and knocking her on her back. The crowd cheered as Chespin sighed, "And there are those close calls she's also known for," Turtonator saying, "Not gonna lie, that was pretty scary."

Lycanroc nodded and uttered, "I know. Eevee gets out of tight spots all the time, but I really thought her leg was gonna break there."

But while the fox had managed to escape, she could not take her chances. Thus with Mapin distracted, she flipped backward toward the ropes and pressed her feet up against them again. But rather than setting up her Spinning Fox Tackle, it seemed that she had something different planned. As such, when she propelled herself off, she thrust her ears forward and swung them back, causing a nice wind current to pick up and speed up her flight.

Just like before, Mapin rose up just in time for Eevee's skull to make contact with her face. She then wrapped her arms and legs around her and aimed her head toward the turnbuckle, shouting, "FLYING FOX PROPELLER CRASH!"

The crowd's cheers were louder when the girl hit the pole hard. She could not believe what happened next as, for the first time in the match, she was the one who coughed up blood. Now failure really did feel like a possibility while Eevee released her hold and allowed her to slide down the turnbuckle.

"Things were looking bad, but Eevee catches Mapin off guard by prying her ankle away from her foot," Yukiko stated, "Not only that, but she follows it up with that powerful new move that defeated Drampa. She truly is amazing, isn't she, folks?"

Popplio smiled lightly and nodded his head in approval. But he also knew Eevee would still need to be careful. After all, Umbreon also took in all of her finishing moves and still defeated her. Mapin had already proven herself stronger than the black fox, so there was no doubt this match was far from over.

Mapin rubbed her head, rose to her feet and growled, "So that's move number four, eh? I notice all of your moves seem to involve you launching yourself at your opponent. At least now I know what to expect from number five, though I guess I can't blame you seeing as a super advanced slam move would probably be too much for you to handle."

The crowd gasped but knew better than to tell her that the only signature move Eevee had not yet used was, in fact, a slam move. After all, if the girl knew about it, she could potentially counter it, especially with all of her arms making that possible.

The fox realized that as well as she smirked and remarked, "Let's see just how prepared for 'move number five' you are," before racing toward the girl. Just as Mapin was ready to counter, though, Eevee leapt up and flipped herself over, sending an axe kick into her skull.

Mapin ignored the pain and took hold of her ankle, grunting, "Alright, time for me to use another move!" before hurling her high into the air. She then leapt up and latched onto the fox's arms, waist and thighs.

Once again, everyone knew what to expect when Mapin flipped one hundred and eighty degrees, shouting, "MACH SUPLEX!" But just as the attack was about to land, Eevee took a deep breath and sighed, "You know, with most of your moves being slams, they're a little easy to figure out as well."

"What!?" the girl uttered as the fox leaned her head forward. She then sent it backward and struck Mapin's forehead.

Once again, she could not believe how much this hurt. It was just enough for her to release her hold on Eevee arms. Thus the fox managed to throw them downward as her paws hit the canvas.

The area went silent when a light pain travelled up Eevee's arms. But while the collission did hurt a little bit, it was nothing compared to what could have happened if her head met the same fate. As such, she ignored it and allowed herself to fall backward, Mapin's back hitting the mat as she winced.

After a few more seconds, the crowd cheered wildly while Eevee performed a handstand and propelled herself into the air. She then flipped forward and planted her rear end into Mapin's gut while Yukiko exclaimed, "And in an incredible display, Eevee avoids the full brunt of Mapin's Mach Suplex and counters with a light slam and a butt drop!"

"Way to go, Eevee!" Chespin squealed while clapping, "It's just like when she fought Lugarugan and figured out how to avoid all of his best moves!"

Lycanroc nodded and replied, "Yeah, that was awesome. Keep it up, Eevee!"

Things only seemed to look up when Eevee saw Mapin struggling to get up. As such, she sent a rolling sobat into her gut following by a roundhouse to her side. She then followed it up with ten rapid punches and ended with an uppercut. Mapin's head shot upward as she flew a little bit into the air.

'How is that so powerful?' she thought when Eevee leapt up to her level and planted all four of her paws into her shoulders and knees. Then with all her might, she forced Mapin's back into the canvas while the cheers only got louder.

"As if the assault was not enough, Eevee has just used what can only be described as an incomplete version of her sister's Soaring Raven," Yukiko stated, "If Umbreon was awake right now, I'm sure she would be proud."

Turtonator stared and uttered, "Damn. You know, I never actually saw her match with Palossand. Now I can see how she came out on top," Caterpie nodding and sighing, "Yeah. That's our Eevee. No matter how bad things get, she always finds a way to get the advantage back. That's kind of similar to all the stories I've heard about the Mach family, come to think of it."

Eevee leapt back and watched as Mapin rose to her feet. Her eye twitched since she still had so much trouble wrapping her head around this. Eevee had proven herself strong, but not this strong. The fact that she had dealt enough damage to get the girl to loosen her hold on her was nothing to scoff at.

'I knew I had to be careful with her, but not this careful,' Mapin thought while she looked at her hands, 'And why didn't that stupid power activate? That was a perfect time for it to work! This just proves that Tapu Koko was right! I can't rely on it! But even so, Eevee shouldn't have lasted this long! I knew it wouldn't be super easy, but come on!'

Eevee took a deep breath and asked, "What's wrong? You finally realize you joined the wrong side?" Mapin glaring at her as she added, "Look, Mapin, it pains me to keep hurting you like this. I don't know about you, but I valued our friendship! I would have loved to know more about you! If you had asked, Popplio could have helped you better yourself like he helped me! The world isn't as cruel as you think it is! I mean, look at Chespin and Lycanroc!"

Everyone turned to the wolf and chipmunk as both laughed nervously and waved lightly, the fox adding, "Both of them used to serve the side of evil, and yet now everyone accepts them. And before you say it's because of their skills, keep this in mind. Each one of them has lost to two villains, just like you."

Mapin's eyes widened as Lycanroc nodded and replied, "It's true. I've only defeated one villain since I joined the team," Chespin sighing, "And I've only beaten two."

"And yet despite this, they all have lots of respect from the public, right?" Eevee asked before the crowd nodded and confirmed that her words were, indeed, true, the fox adding, "And you know what? Lycanroc's first victory against a villain was when she defeated Bulu and everyone still considered her a great fighter before that."

Mapin's eyes widened as Turtonator nodded and said, "I will admit, she was a genuine threat when she fought Palossand and I," Chespin asking, "Me too?" the turtle rubbing the back of his neck until the chipmunk socked him on the arm.

It looked as if the fox's words were starting to sink in when Mapin had a slight look of hope in her eyes. If they could get so much respect despite their pasts, maybe she could as well. And hearing this in the hospital, Popplio could not have been more proud as he nodded his head with a smile.

However, after a few seconds, Mapin sighed, "Eevee, I know what you're trying to tell me, but the only reason I've heard is that these two did at least get some victories against other heroes. But what about Caterpie?" the caterpillar tensing up and uttering, "What about me?"

"Have you already forgotten!?" the girl snapped, "I heard that when you lost to Ribombee, it was so humiliating that people insulted you online! It wasn't until you beat Kommo-o that the world finally accepted you as a hero of Tokyo! They all judged you unfairly because of your status, just like they did to me! If you were smart, you'd join us and get revenge on the world that put pressure on you!"

Caterpie tensed up while Lycanroc looked at him with concern. As painful as it was to admit, the girl was right. However, he then took a deep breath and sighed, "That is true, but I kind of added to that. I mean, I went around showboating my skills and built myself up as a god of heroism. If anything, the people were right to make fun of me before I proved myself to the world."

Eevee nodded as Mapin gritted her teeth and retorted, "What a load of shit! I get it! You're trying to show me that the world isn't judgemental, but I've seen more than enough proof! All my life, I believed I was destined for greatness just because of my heritage! How many of you even knew anything about me besides my reputation!?"

She specifically turned to her former classmates when she said this. And sure enough, none of them had anything to say to that. Even Eevee and her friends could not believe the lack of a response. Did they really see Mapin as nothing more than a tool to give them a boost in popularity?

Needless to say, this filled Mapin with more anger as she growled, "All this conversation has proven is that I made the right choice, Eevee! You'd better brace yourself, because this match isn't over!"

As such, she charged at the fox while she squeaked in panic and attempted to dodge to the right. However, she immediately received three karate chops after doing so. And it only got worse when Mapin grasped onto her arms and swung her around, flinging her into the turnbuckle. She then leapt toward her with three of her arms stretched out and shouted, "TRIPLE MOON HOOK!" ramming them hard into the fox's neck as she coughed up blood.

"You know, if it really pains you to hurt me, then why not just let me finish you off?" Mapin grunted with a psychotic look in her eyes, "Let the Tapu family and I take over! Join us! Then I'll consider you worthy of my friendship!"

She then sent her fists toward Eevee only for her to gasp and leap upward. As a result, the girl wound up punching the turnbuckle instead as the fox landed behind her and took hold of her middle arms.

"I'm sorry, but I can't do that," Eevee sighed, "Our job is to protect the citizens of Tokyo. Every hero on Earth is trained to defend Earth! Former friend or not, I can't let you go through with this! Did you even think about how much you hurt your own mother yesterday!?"

Just as Mapin was about to retaliate, the words Eevee had just spoken seemed to reach her. Her eyes widened while Eevee leapt high into the air and wrapped her arms and legs around her. She then flipped one hundred and eighty degrees and bound the girl's legs with her tail.

'Wait, one of her signature moves is a slam move?' Mapin thought. And while the two descended, Eevee spun around and picked up a strong wind current, shouting, "I bet she really appreciated you playing with her emotions like that! If you were truly worthy of the family name, you wouldn't have had to resort to that!"

Mapin was too distracted by these words to even attempt to fight back despite her upper arms being free. As such, the back of her head hit the canvas hard while Eevee squeaked, "BINDING FOX TWISTER!"

Eevee released her hold and allowed the girl to collapse before sighing, "And think about how your grandparents must feel knowing their granddaughter is using her family's abilities for such a selfish purpose. I bet Gardevoir is so happy to see her family's power being used to knock her daughter unconscious."

After all of that, the crowd cheered wildly while Yukiko exclaimed, "And Eevee has managed to hit Mapin with all five of her signature moves! I bet even she can't get up after all of that!"

Eevee was not so sure about that. She had a funny feeling that Mapin could handle much more. But even so, she was not the least bit scared. She could tell that the girl had allowed herself to take in the hit. If anything, it was possible that she had finally learned her lesson.

Everyone stared while Mapin lay there with her eyes closed and thought, 'Maybe she's right. I mean, all Mom ever really did was encourage me like any other parent would. It's not like she meant to put so much pressure on me, right? Did she really deserve to be stabbed in the back like that?'

However, just as she was considering giving up, Koko appeared before her in her mind and sighed, "Don't let these mere words get the better of you. You are so close. Not only have you dealt lots of damage to Eevee, but you've taken in all of her best moves. She has no surprises left. You can defeat her now."

After a few more seconds, Mapin opened up her eyes with a smirk. The crowd stared in horror while she pushed herself back up, Chespin whining, "COME ON! YOU'VE GOTTA BE KIDDING ME!"

Caterpie let out a sigh and groaned, "Is it wrong to say I kind of saw that coming?" as Lycanroc whimpered, "I feel awful. I did too!"

"Honestly, I'm not surprised that she got up," Turtonator added, "I'm more ashamed of her for clearly not taking Eevee's words into account. Look at that face. That is not the look of someone who took such words to heart."

The others could see it, and while the turtle's words were not completely true, he was not exactly off the mark either. Mapin was still under the influence of Koko. In short, she was also still a threat.

Popplio narrowed his eyelids and grunted, "Dammit, I need to be there. I'm sure Eevee's words almost worked. I need to confirm that what she's saying is true."

But when he tried to get up, he felt extreme pain course through his veins. Thus he cried out in pain and rolled out of bed. A nurse ran into the area with a look of panic while he attempted to crawl toward the exit.

"Oh my god," the woman uttered as she lifted him up gently and added, "Sir, you need to stay in bed. You're not fully recovered yet."

"He's not, but we are," came a familiar British voice from behind her as she turned to see Crabrawler having shockingly made a good enough recovery to move. As if that was not enough, even Umbreon had just enough strength to move without hurting herself. Needless to say, this was a big surprise considering both of them had taken in a worse beating than Palossand and his group.

Nevertheless, this was a true miracle. Popplio could not have been more grateful as a big smile formed on his face. And as much as the nurse felt like letting him leave was a bad idea, she could see how serious they were. With that in mind, she let out a sigh and said, "I'll take you there, but I'll need to put your friend in a wheelchair first."

Needless to say, the heroes would have to hurry since Eevee's confidence had gone down. There was no doubt about it. She had to defeat Mapin now, but even she could not help but think the same thing Koko had told the girl. Now that she had revealed all of her signature moves, who was to say Mapin had not come up with some way to counter all of them?

"I'll admit, Eevee, you really are amazing," Mapin said with her grin still on her face, "I finally get how you got such an amazing reputation. The way you can take so much punishment despite your skinny build, the way you've managed to come up with all kinds of effective techniques, the fact that you can pull off a super advanced slam technique against someone of my stature. You've really become something else. And you know what? I'm actually kind of glad, because if anything, this will make my inevitable victory over you so much more satisfying!"

Eevee gulped and shook her head as Mapin clenched her fists, her purple aura forming. Now the crowd was even more terrified. Her Beaulieu family power had now activated, meaning that for at least a minute, she would be even harder to defeat.

However, once she was ready to take advantage of this, the aura faded as she blinked and uttered, "What!?" shaking her hands and barking, "Come on! Work! Start up again! Don't leave me now!"

She then looked at her arms and noticed a slight increase in her muscle mass. It was not big enough to be easily noticed, but there was a change there. As such, the girl smiled and exclaimed, "Oh my god, this is even better than I could have asked for! I just merged with the family power! Take that, Mom! I've finally mastered it!"

Panic spread through the area as now Mapin was more dangerous than ever before. How could Eevee possibly defeat her now?


	82. Chapter 82

Just when things were finally starting to look up, Eevee's chances were even lower than before. As if Mapin had not been a major threat at first, now she had merged with the Beaulieu family power just like Machop did in her youth. And while this meant she could no longer enter that insanely powerful state she did when using the power, it also meant her regular strength had increased.

"I can feel the power flowing through me," she said with a smirk, "I'm going to enjoy this, Eevee. I'm gonna tare you limb from limb. I was even considering sparing your life, but after all of this, I won't be satisfied until I see your mangled corpse lying before my feet."

The fox let down light tears and whimpered at the sound of this. She still could not believe all of this was just because she had fulfilled her dream of being a true hero first.

Even so, it was clear that she could not allow Mapin to win. As such, she wiped her tears and sighed, "You talk big, but I'm not just gonna stand around and let you do it. I may not like this, but I guess I have no choice. You might be physically stronger, but I'm gonna make sure I'm the last one standing."

With that in mind, she raced toward Mapin and sent a flying kick into her gut. She then wrapped her arms around her and lifted her up, planting her skull into the canvas. The crowd cheered until they noticed Mapin smirk and ignore the pain. She then wrapped her arms around the fox and flipped herself upright.

Shifting Eevee upside-down, she said, "Well, look at that. I can handle more pain than before," panic spreading through the area as Chespin groaned, "Oh no! She just let Eevee hit her, didn't she!?"

Things only got worse when the girl leapt into the air slightly and rammed the fox's skull into the canvas with her knees up against the sides of her head. And while this was a simple piledriver, it certainly seemed to deal a lot of pain as Eevee groaned.

Things looked even worse when the girl took hold of Eevee's ankles and flung her into the turnbuckle, Yukiko exclaiming, "And this new burst in strength seems to be helping Mapin even more than we expected! Not only does she treat Eevee's kick and suplex like nothing, but she deals even more damage with her own moves than before!"

Lycanroc cringed at the sight of this and whimpered, "Eevee can still win, right?" Caterpie nodding and replying, "Of course she can. She's Eevee. She's proven herself amazing in situations like these."

"True, but she's never faced an opponent like this," Turtonator sighed, "I really hate to say it, but this might be it. Mapin at regular strength was bad enough, but now that power's increased by a lot. Even if she used her power the same way she did before, at least Eevee could have tried dodging her for a minute or two until it wore off, but now it's a permanent part of her."

"Whatever!" Chespin spat, "I have no doubt in my mind that Eevee can still win this! Come on, Eevee! Don't let her intimidate you!"

The fox turned to him with a weak look in her eyes. She took a deep breath and narrowed her eyelids, nodding her head. She then stepped away from the pole and uttered, "You call that power? You're gonna have to try harder than that."

"Oh, this is just precious," Mapin quipped before racing toward her with her arms out. The fox waited for her to close in before sending a swift kick to her shin. Unfortunately, while the girl showed slight signs of pain, this was not enough to slow her down as she wrapped her arms around the fox's arms, waist and thighs.

"You may have gotten out of this before, but I dare you to do it again," Mapin stated before leaping high into the air. Eevee frowned and grunted, "Don't think I forgot how I did it!" before leaning her head forward and sending it back into Mapin's skull.

Unfortunately, Mapin ignored the pain this dealt. With that in mind, Eevee continued to ram the back of her head repeatedly into the same spot. The crowd watched in terror while Mapin flipped one hundred and eighty degrees, shouting, "MACH SUPLEX!"

And sure enough, the back of Eevee's head hit the canvas hard as she coughed up blood. She then closed her eyes while Mapin released her hold and allowed her to collapse. There was no movement from her whatsoever, not even a small twitch.

Silence filled the crowd as even Yukiko struggled to say what was on her mind. It truly seemed like Eevee had been defeated. She and the others had come so close to saving Tokyo and now it looked like it was all over.

Mapin turned to the woman and sighed, "You know what? I don't need a verdict. I'll end this match myself," before lifting Eevee up and holding onto her tightly while applying a firm grip with her top hands to her head.

"You know, my great grandpa was known for his sleeper holds," the girl stated, "I figure it's only fitting to end you with one of those."

The crowd watched in horror, wishing they could do something about this. There was no doubt about it. Eevee was as good as dead.

But just as Mapin was about to snap her neck, a familiar French voice entered the area and spat, "STOP!" everyone turning to see Popplio there in a wheelchair. As if his presence was not surprising enough, the fact that Crabrawler and Umbreon were with him caught everyone off guard.

Even Mapin could not help but stare as she subconsciously dropped Eevee. She mainly focused on the black fox while her eye twitched. She could not believe she was conscious after the beating she took.

Lycanroc and Caterpie had no idea how to react to this. On one hand, they were relieved to see all three heroes there, but much like Mapin, they had no idea how this could be. Even Chespin and Turtonator, who knew just how strong Popplio was, did not expect him to have woken up yet.

Mapin looked at Popplio when he sighed, "Mapin, I'm really disappointed. You finally live up to the family name and this is how you choose to use your abilities?"

"Is that seriously why you came here!?" Mapin retorted, "Everyone else has already said all of this! All this proves is that none of you understand a goddamn thing about me! I've explained more than enough times why I'm doing this and no one seems to get it!"

"Non," Popplio remarked while shaking his head, "I understand. You felt like you had to be the best because your ancestors were. Everyone else truly believed you would fulfil that legacy, and because of that, you felt pressured into it. And when you wound up losing twice in a row, you felt like you had let everyone down, like everyone would slowly lose interest in you, maybe even hate you because of it."

Mapin stared silently as he sighed, "I'm right, aren't I?" silence filling the area. The crowd stared at the seal then at the girl.

"That's exactly right," Mapin uttered, "And I've seen the proof! No one here supports me! They don't get what I've gone through! They all say I'm being selfish, but I'm not! If anything, they're all selfish for expecting so much from me!"

"Let moi ask you something," Popplio retorted, "Were they the ones expecting perfection from you or were you expecting perfection from yourself!?"

Umbreon nodded and sighed, "I've thought about it, and yeah, it seems like you put all that pressure on yourself. If anything, you're more to blame for this than anyone else," Crabrawler adding, "And it's like everyone keeps telling you. You could use this power to benefit mankind, but you don't. What a waste of talent!"

Mapin stared silently with a look of regret on her face. What if they were right? What if all this time, her view of the world was just something she made up to give herself an excuse to turn to the side of evil? What if all of this was just to repay the Tapu family for shaping her into a good fighter?

However, before she could contemplate this further, Koko's spirit appeared before her and sighed, "Mapin, they're trying to trick you. You know this to be true. But you're much better than that, right?"

"Yes," the girl said quietly enough for no one to hear. Thus the rooster nodded and asked, "Are you going to let them stop you when you're so close to achieving our dream?"

Mapin shook her head and glared at the trio who had just arrived. After a few seconds, she pointed and snapped, "I'm not falling for your words! You're only saying this because you know I'm too strong for any of you to defeat! Once I kill Eevee, I'm gonna kill you too, Popplio! And while I owe you for helping me start my journey, Umbreon, seeing you stand after the beating I gave you pisses me off!"

"What!?" Umbreon retorted, "You're seriously gonna kill me because I dared to recover?" as Crabrawler groaned, "How exactly was this girl a friend of yours again, Popplio?"

Chespin bit his lower lip and whimpered, "Dammit! She's even more pissed off than before!" Turtonator sighing, "I really thought Popplio of all people could get through to her. I just really hope Eevee can recover in the next few seconds."

She would certainly need to when Mapin lifted her up by the ears and wrapped her arms around her again. Umbreon held out her arm and spat, "NO! PLEASE, DON'T!" tears welling up in her eyes as Mapin smirked and retorted, "I don't know exactly when or how you two made up, but I'm glad you did. Seeing you of all people suffer makes this even more worth it."

Popplio gritted his teeth with tears of his own and snapped, "EEVEE, WAKE UP! I KNOW YOU CAN STILL WIN THIS! I BELIEVE IN YOU!"

At that moment, Eevee's eyes widened as she let out a light gasp. She then sent her elbows and feet into Mapin. What shocked the girl was not just Eevee's recovery but how much this hurt. As such, she loosened her hold just enough for the fox to escape.

When Eevee distanced herself from Mapin and breathed heavily, the area went silent as even her own friends could not believe what they had just witnessed. After a few seconds, though, many smiles formed while the area erupted with cheers and applause, Lycanroc shouting, "WAY TO GO, EEVEE!"

"You rule!" Caterpie shouted while the others joined in, Umbreon breathing a sigh of relief. She then smiled at Popplio and said, "I'm glad we brought you here. I don't know where Eevee would be if it hadn't been for you."

The seal blushed lightly and chuckled, "I only said what anyone else would have," as Crabrawler replied, "True, but I bet if anyone else had said it, it wouldn't have been quite as effective."

Eevee smiled at the seal thought, 'Thank you so much,' only for Mapin to grit her teeth and growl, "You may have been tough shit before, but now that my power has increased, you would have been better off letting me kill you! Now you'll just have to suffer more!"

With that in mind, she raced toward the fox with her arms at the ready as Popplio spat, "Eevee, jump!" Eevee did just as instructed once the girl was close enough and planted her feet into her skull. And just like when she escaped from the sleeper hold, she somehow managed to deal as much damage as she had before Mapin merged with her power.

And with the girl distracted, she leapt behind her and wrapped her arms around her. She then lifted her up and slammed the back of her head into the canvas while the crowd cheered, Yukiko exclaiming, "It was really close for Eevee, but thanks to some words of encouragement, she's wide awake and ready for more!"

But after Eevee released her hold, Mapin rose to her feet and spat, "NO! I WON'T LET YOU WIN!" taking hold of the fox's arms and swinging her toward the ropes. Luckily, this was exactly what the fox wanted as she allowed her back to make contact with the material. She then bounced off and rolled up into a ball, shouting, "FLYING FOX WHEEL!" striking Mapin hard in the gut.

Her eyes widened while she coughed up blood. She could not believe it. Even with her power having increased by so much, Eevee was still able to draw blood from her. There was just no way.

Even so, she chose to ignore the pain and placed a firm grip on Eevee's body. The crowd watched in horror as she flipped the fox upside-down and planted her back into the canvas. However, her eyes widened when Eevee ignored the pain and planted her paws against the canvas, propelling herself up and sending her feet into her chin.

But just as the crowd was ready to cheer, Mapin latched onto Eevee again and frowned, grunting, "No! I will not let you defy logic any further! You are such a pain in the ass! If you can use your first finishing move again, then prepare to lose to mine!"

With that in mind, the girl leapt higher into the air than ever before. She then wrapped her legs around Eevee's neck and prepared for her Mach Hurricane. There was no way Eevee would get up after this, no matter how much support she had from the crowd.

"EEVEE!" Lycanroc gasped while Caterpie spat, "Come on! Find a way out of that! I know you can!"

"Yeah!" Chespin barked, "Mapin may be strong, but she's got nothing on your spirit! You said it yourself!"

Crabrawler nodded and spat, "Show us just how you earned such an amazing reputation!" Umbreon adding, "That's right! You took all kinds of torture from me and almost won! I know you can do it!"

Popplio folded his flippers and nodded his head in agreement. And Umbreon's words were already enough to motivate Eevee to keep trying, but Popplio's look of encouragement cemented it. Now she had no doubt in her mind that she could still turn this around.

"OH MY GOD, DO YOU EVER SHUT UP!?" Mapin snapped as Eevee latched her ankles onto her neck. At first, this seemed to mean very little to her until the fox tightened her grip. As a result, the girl's face started to turn a darker shade of blue while she thought, 'How the hell is this so painful!?'

And after a few seconds, she released her hold and gasped for air. This was all Eevee needed as she flipped one hundred and eighty degrees and flung Mapin downward. She then proceeded to flip vertically toward her and planted her feet into her skull.

The crowd watched while Eevee flipped five more times, repeating the same attack. And after the sixth strike, Mapin had been forced upside-down. With that, the fox flipped herself over before wrapping her arms around the girl's waist.

"Impressed?" Eevee asked with a light smile, "This was my great-great-great-great grandma, Sylveon's, best move," Mapin's eyes wide with terror as soon enough, the back of her head hit the canvas hard, the fox squealing, "DAZZLING FOX SUPLEX!"

Mapin coughed up one last bit of blood when Eevee released her hold and allowed her to collapse. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head while the area went silent. Was it finally over? Had the fox finally won the match?

After half-a-minute, Yukiko could see that Mapin would not get up any time soon. As such, she smiled and rang the bell, shouting, "And after a very long and intense match, Eevee has won! Therefor Tokyo along with the world has been saved!"

The area erupted with heavy cheers and applause while the fox fell to her knees and breathed heavily. She could not believe she had just pulled that off. Not only that, but she thought for sure Mapin would be able to recover after thirty seconds at most.

Umbreon's eyes and mouth were wide with shock as she uttered, "I can't believe she was able to use that. That's the most complex move to ever come from our family."

Crabrawler nodded and said, "Just think, she went from relying on common everyday wrestling moves to feats like this. If she had used that on you, she might have been the one to face Scorchicken in the finals," the black fox laughing nervously and sighing, "I think you might be right."

Popplio beamed bright as Eevee sprinted toward him. However, seeing him in the wheelchair, she slowed down a bit. After a few seconds, she managed to reach him before resting her paws on his shoulders and leaning forward, planting her lips right up against his. The entire area went silent while Popplio's eyes were wide with shock.

Eevee then released the kiss and squealed, "I love you so much, Popplio! You're the best!" the seal blinking and uttering, "Wait, do you actually mean-?"

The fox nodded while the seal smiled wide and kissed the top of her paw. He did not even need to say anything. Everyone could tell exactly what his gesture meant as they let out a collective 'aw'.

"Wow, not only has Eevee saved Tokyo, but it seems she and Popplio will start dating now," Yukiko stated before Caterpie uttered, "Huh. Did you see that coming?"

Lycanroc shrugged her shoulders as even Chespin was shocked. But even so, it also made perfect sense in a way.

But just as all seemed to calm down, everyone's good mood left when Mapin slowly pushed herself up. She breathed heavily and glared at Eevee, the fox whimpering in terror. While it had taken longer than expected, the girl had ultimately managed to recover.

"No!" she grunted as she marched toward the fox, "I can't accept this! I won't accept this! I'm still standing, so as far as I'm concerned, this match is still on!"

"Hold it!" Umbreon retorted, "Your loss has already been declared! You've embarrassed yourself enough with your childish actions these last couple of days! Do you really want to make yourself look even more pathetic!?"

Mapin was just about to retort when suddenly, a teenaged girl among the crowd shouted, "Stop it, Mapin!" light tears in her eyes as many other high school students joined her. A male nodded and said, "If they can't get through to you, maybe we can."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Mapin snapped before the boy sighed, "You asked earlier if anyone in Tokyo knows anything about you. Well, you had a point. We never really hung out enough to know anything about one-another, but if there is one thing I do remember, it's that you were really nice and supportive."

"That's right," the teenaged girl added while wiping her tears, "I remember when I was sick and you brought my homework for me even though we never even talked before that! That was the sweetest thing anyone had ever done for me!"

Mapin's eyes were wide with shock when another girl stated, "When my boyfriend dumped me, you not only helped me get over it, but you even got back at him without resorting to violence. That was pretty cool."

"Not to mention you really helped out the basketball team on the day of the big game," a tall boy explained, "You didn't even know a thing about the sport at first and yet you caught onto the rules really quickly and helped us make it to the top. I couldn't be more grateful."

Many other students added their own personal stories connected to Mapin. The rest of the crowd was fascinated by this. All the while, Crabrawler uttered, "Wow, you sound kind of awesome now, Mapin."

"Exactly," the first boy who spoke stated, "You may not have proven yourself a master in the ring, but we still saw you as a hero, just in a different way. To see you resort to all of this petty jealousy is heartbreaking to say the least. We want the old Mapin back."

Eevee and Popplio gave the girl big smiles of their own and nodded their heads. As such, tears welled up in her eyes as she covered her face and sniffed, "Oh my god! What have I done!?"

Isamu smiled upon seeing this and sighed, "If only you were awake right now, Machop. You'd be so happy," a light tear rolling down his cheek. It seemed as if his daughter was finally back.

Koko's spirit appeared next to her and said, "Don't let them manipulate you," only for the girl to smack him to the side. She then got up and sighed, "Unfortunately, the Mapin you all knew is dead and gone. It's way too late for me to go back to how it once was. There's only one option left for me."

"What are you talking about!?" Chespin retorted, "Did you forget I used to serve evil!? If I can turn my life around, so can you!" Turtonator nodding and adding, "Yes. I'm in the same boat."

"But it's different for you," Mapin sighed, "You never fought for good before. I appreciate all of your words, I really do, but I don't deserve anyone's forgiveness."

Eevee's eyes widened when the girl walked over to the edge of the mountain. She spread out her arms as the fox ran toward her and squeaked, "NO! DON'T DO IT!" the others getting up and joining her.

But before they could even get close enough, Mapin sighed, "I'm so sorry for everything," before allowing herself to fall forward, vanishing in a thick fog that formed around the sides of the mountain.

Eevee reached the edge and looked down, breathing heavily and shaking her head. She then fell to her knees and uttered, "That didn't just happen, did it? Tell me that did not just happen."

"Maybe it didn't," Chespin replied with a nervous smile, "I've seen enough movies and shows to know what's going on. When people look for her corpse, they won't find it because she faked her death and will one day return under an alias to save us all from-"

He was cut off when all four screens turned on to show news footage from down below caught by a man in a chopper. The image of Mapin's corpse lying there with her head cracked open was all the people needed to see.

Isamu stared wide-eyed at the footage. Now he was glad Machop was not awake. This was the last thing she needed to see. As such, he turned off the TV and held his hand over his eyes.

The others took it just as bad as he did. Eevee's breaths were heavier now, and after a few seconds, she cried, "MAPIN!" before breaking out into tears.

A few days later, a funeral was held for the girl. Not only were Popplio, Crabrawler and Umbreon fully recovered now, but so were Salazzle and Palossand. And of course, they decided to stick around until this was over. It would have been rude to leave and find their own place to protect anytime soon.

A priest stood by Mapin's grave and gave a big speech about the loss. However, Eevee and the others were not even listening. They just could not believe what she had done.

And of course, Machop and Isamu were there as well. And once the priest was finished, they were the first to approach the coffin with their daughter's body in it.

Machop took a deep breath and sniffed, "Mapin was a wonderful girl. She had so much potential. I just wish I could have been there to talk her out of this. I could have saved her," before covering her face with her hands and whimpering, "Why couldn't it have been me?"

Isamu rubbed her shoulders and sighed, "Don't say that," before turning to the coffin and adding, "I just hope that our little Mapin is kicking ass and saving lives up in heaven. They could use someone as amazing as her up there."

One by one, Eevee and the others went up to give their own piece. And of course, the ones who had the most to say were the fox and Popplio. After all, they were the only ones there who actually knew Mapin before she left for Hawaii.

Soon enough, it was time for the coffin to be buried. But before that could happen, Eevee approached Machop and gave her a big hug. The woman smiled weakly and returned the gesture. After all, she was certain the last thing Mapin wanted was for her and all of the others to mourn her death forever.

And once the funeral was over, everyone headed home. It would be a long time until the citizens of Tokyo could truly get over this. But of course, everyone was most worried about Machop and Isamu. Both had already dealt with two big losses in the past, but this was the most devastating of all.


	83. Chapter 83

It had been two months since the defeat of the Tapu family and Mapin's death. Luckily, most people had started to move on since they knew the girl would not want them to let everything ruin their lives. But of course, not everyone had completely recovered from the event.

Currently, Eevee and Popplio were out on a dinner date at a fancy restaurant. The seal wore a fancy tuxedo while the fox had a nice black dress passed down from her mother. After all, even heroes had to dress up for an occasion like this.

The seal took a bite of grilled sea bream before noticing Eevee slowly picking at a bit of her own food and putting it in her mouth. She did not even swallow. She just kept it in there and chewed on it.

When she finally swallowed it, Popplio sighed, "You're thinking about her again, aren't you?" the fox nodding and groaning, "I know! It's been two months and yet I keep flashing back to that moment!"

She remembered it like it was yesterday. Just as everyone had finally gotten through to Mapin, she let her guilt consume her and cast herself off the edge of the mountain. Even after all this time, it was still hard to believe she had done it with many wishing Chespin's theory had been correct.

Popplio smiled and patted the fox on the shoulder, saying, "I know. I get flashbacks to that moment too. Sometimes I wish I hadn't been stuck in a wheelchair. Then I probably could have leapt off the cliff and saved her. I'm pretty sure my blubber would help moi survive a fall like that."

Eevee laughed nervously and sighed, "Maybe it's for the best you didn't try that," her mood seeming to improve slightly. As such, she started to eat her food faster, but not as quickly as she normally did.

After half-a-minute, she needed a new subject. As such, she smiled at Popplio and asked, "So, did you ever think we'd be here all dressed up on an actual date? It's been two months and I'm still trying to wrap my head around it. And I confessed first."

Popplio nodded and replied, "Oui. Honestly, I was afraid to say anything about it. I was worried you might find it weird and then our friendship would become super awkward. Merci for not making things weird between us."

With that, Eevee's mood really did improve immensely. Now she could think about her relationship and try not to dwell on Mapin's death.

Though right now, Machop was naturally still taking it pretty hard. She was in the middle of helping Isamu clean up after dinner. But when she lifted up a plate to take to the sink, she zoned out briefly and let it slide out of her hand. Thus it hit the floor and shattered.

"Oh, shit," she groaned as she looked down, Isamu racing into the area and asking, "Hey, you okay, honey?" looking down at the plate then at her foot to make sure none of the shards had cut her.

"Define okay," Machop groaned when tears formed in her eyes. Isamu took a deep breath and kissed her on the cheek before walking off to fetch a dustpan and a broom. But while doing so, he tried his best to hold back his own tears.

As a father, he knew exactly what she was going through. Just like her, he wished he could have been there to at least talk Mapin out of suicide. And if anything, he would have gladly tried the same thing Popplio suggested. He would have been less likely to survive a drop from that height, but he would have been happy knowing his daughter had a chance to truly redeem herself.

When he returned to the dining room, he noticed Machop had gone to the couch to distract herself with TV. The man let out a sigh and cleaned up the fragments of the plate. And after dumping it all into a garbage pale specifically for glass and china, he smiled and asked, "Hey, honey, want me to get you anything?"

Machop shook her head and replied, "No, it's okay," forcing a light smile. But after a few seconds, she blinked and enquired, "Actually, could you bring me the phone?"

Isamu brought her a cordless phone, asking, "Let me guess, long distance?" the woman nodding her head and dialling in a few numbers. And after a while, she received a response. Her mood already seemed to improve while she said, "Hi, Daddy."

"Oh, hey," stated an old blue lizard-like man with ridges like hers, "What's up?" before turning toward a lovely green and white woman with a lower body like a dress and a red spike on her chest. He grinned and pointed at the phone, excitedly whispering, "It's Machop."

He then held the phone back to the side of his head as Machop sighed, "It's been two months and I can't stop thinking about Mapin. I was hoping maybe you had some advice. I still feel like I should have been able to do more, like this is partly my fault."

Machoke took a deep breath and sighed, "I can only tell you to stop beating yourself up so many times. I'm sure the last thing Mapin wants is for you to feel guilty because of her actions. It's a big loss. You think it was easy for me to get over it? No way. Hell, when I heard about your death, my heart skipped a beat. And when I heard Kelani gave up his life to revive you, that was just as hard to take in."

Machop remembered that plain as day. A black and green dragon named Zygarde, who Machop and the others called Kelani since his birth, had been turned to the dark side. Machop wound up with no choice but to fight him, hoping she could get through to him. But in the end, he overpowered her and defeating her with a move called Land's Vengeance. Not only did this beat her, it also ended her life.

In the end, Zygarde remembered who his true friends and family were. And as such, he gave up his life to restore Machop's. That was the second big loss she had dealt with in her life, the first being when an old friend named Marshall was killed by a villain named Dunsparce.

"None of us let those events ruin our lives, though," Machoke stated, "It's because we knew Kelani wouldn't want us to spend our lives mourning his death, just like I'm sure Mapin wouldn't want us mourning hers. I'm sure if she could speak to us right now, she'd tell you to stop blaming yourself and get over it."

Machop took a deep breath and replied, "Yeah, you're right. You keep telling me that, and maybe it's high time I finally listened. I'll try a little harder from now on."

"That's my girl," Machoke replied before asking, "So, you wanna talk to Mama?" Gardevoir's eyes sparkling at the mention of that.

Machop spent the next little while talking to Gardevoir while Isamu peered his head into the living room. Seeing her looking happier was a relief to say the least, thus he took a deep breath and smiled. As tough as things had gotten, it was nice to see a ray of hope.

Meanwhile, on Hero Planet, four mysterious strangers arrived outside of the Tower of Justice. One was a man whose entire body was made of black crystals. His disproportionally large arms had three claws jutting out of them black and white sheet-like crystals attached to his wrists. His legs bent backwards like those of a bird and each had three toes, one located at the tip of each leg and the others sticking out of the ankles and bent upward like tusks. A spine seemed to grow out of each of his shoulders and resembled hooks. His head and torso were covered in spikes and his face was composed of various multicoloured shapes, two red triangles and a blue rectangle representing each eye.

The second stranger was a pink cyborg who was shaped like a rabbit in a ball gown. Her head was a sphere with a slight point in the back and a gear attached to all but her chin, much like a headband. Her ears were like half-moons with gold rims and her mouth and nose were like tiny dots. Her eyes were large and red with pink pupils. Her upper body was a sky-blue sphere with a thick grey band in the middle. Her shoulders were large and spherical and held long claw-shaped arms with small pointed hands in place. Along her gown-like lower body were golden wavy lines and her back and front had gold rings with pentagonal holes in the middle.

The third one was a cloud of gas with a boyish figure and colours similar to a nebula. His arms and hands looked like wisps and his face was black with yellow dots for eyes. Running down his entire body was a matching ellipse.

Finally, the forth stranger was a translucent dark blue orb attached to a mechanical human-like body. She had a star-scape pattern held in place by a golden capsule that was comprised of four ellipses. In the center was a small black core, specifically her real head. Her mouth was a small pink rectangle and, like the gaseous boy, her eyes were yellow dots.

"Alright, you all ready for this?" the crystal man asked as the orb nodded and replied, "Yes. Once we get that slab, the world will be at our mercy."

"Are you sure about this, Necrozma?" the cyborg enquired, "Is this really such a good idea?"

"Magearna, try to remember why you're doing this," the crystal man, Necrozma, remarked, "Those scientists built you specifically for combat. Once we take over, you'll never have to worry about that again. Of course, you might have to fight a so-called 'hero' or two, but it's nowhere near as bad as what they had planned for you."

Magearna nodded and sighed, "Right. Sorry for questioning your motives," as the gas boy patted her on the shoulder with a supportive smile.

Necrozma turned to him and said, "Cosmog, I want you to enter through that window and take out any guards inside," pointing at the nearest window he could find. He then faced the orb and added, "Cosmoem, you will come with me."

The orb gave an army salute and smiled lightly, saying, "My pleasure sir," before smirking at Cosmog and adding, "See? The leader considers me worthy of fighting alongside him."

The gas boy took a deep breath and remarked, "And he trusts me to work by myself. You know this isn't a competition, sis," Necrozma replying, "Exactly. You've both proven yourselves worthy."

"And what about me?" Magearna asked before the crystal man replied, "I know how much you hate fighting, so I want you to wait outside. If you spot any guards, you will have to take them out. I hope you understand that."

The cyborg took a deep breath and nodded her head. After all, it was exactly as Necrozma said earlier. She would have to face a hero or two if she was to achieve her dream. As long as the number of casualties was low, she could handle it.

With all said and done, the group approached the building as Cosmog floated up toward the window. Since his body was made of gas, he easily seeped through the thin opening. And sure enough, there were quite a few security guards inside.

All the while, Necrozma and Cosmoem headed toward the main entrance and noticed two guards standing by. One of them frowned and barked, "State your name and business!"

"We don't have to tell you that," Cosmoem remarked, Necrozma nodding and speeding toward one guard. His entire body glowed as he looked more like a beam and shouted, "PRISMATIC LASER!"

The guard was unable to respond when the crystal man rammed his face into his gut and sent him careening into the door. This was more than enough to knock him out while Cosmoem waited for the other guard to get close to her. And once that happened, she dodged to the right and sent a hard kick into his back. With him distracted, she lifted him up and leaned backward, planting the back of his head into the ground.

"I have to say, that mechanical body of yours never ceases to amaze me," Necrozma stated, "Even a basic brainbuster can defeat a security guard with ease."

"If anything, it beats being made of gas," Cosmoem replied with a shrug, Necrozma sighing, "In terms of defensive capabilities, but have you already forgotten what your brother is capable of?"

During this time, Cosmog had managed to knock out many of the guards with a variety of swift karate chops. Due to his gas body, he was able to evade damage really easily and deliver many swift strikes. It also helped that any face that made contact with his gas became disoriented for a brief period of time.

Currently, he was up against a turquoise cyborg with a disc-shaped body and massive arms and legs named Metagross. He sent a barrage of punches into the gas boy's body only to wind up dealing no damage. After a while, he backed up and asked, "How are my punches not hurting you!?"

"Sorry to say this, but my body's actually made of gas," Cosmog replied with a shrug. The cyborg glared and retorted, "That makes no sense! If you're made of gas, how in the hell did you hurt all these other guards!?"

"Well, my hands are solid," he replied before molding one into a large hand and sending it hard into Metagross' face. While the cyborg backed up and rubbed the spot, he was unable to prepare himself when the gas boy morphed them into buzz saws and exclaimed, "GASEOUS SAW BLADES!"

Metagross gasped upon taking the blades to his arms. And sure enough, both came right off and a mixture of blood and oil seeped out of him. It only got worse when his legs soon met the same fate.

"What are you?" Metagross growled only for Cosmog to form two rocks with his hands and ram them into his skull, shouting, "GASEOUS BOULDER!"

This was more than enough to knock the cyborg unconscious as he sighed, "I hate to be so rough, but I can't let you get in the way of our plans."

Soon enough, Necrozma and Cosmoem entered the area after having dealt with a few more guards themselves. Seeing the unconscious bleeding cyborg before the gas boy, Cosmoem glared at Necrozma and growled, "Not a word."

Meanwhile, Magearna waited outside and uttered, "I really hope they're okay," when suddenly, a red dragon with a flame on his tail entered the area and stared silently. He then narrowed his eyelids and barked, "Hey, you look suspicious!"

Magearna tensed up and uttered, "I wasn't going to enter, honest," only for the dragon to retort, "Do you think I'm stupid!? My grandpa was a bodyguard for the Tower of Justice, and now I, Charmeleon, carry the torch," looking at his tail and adding, "Quite literally. There is no way I'm letting him down!"

With that, he leapt toward the cyborg and swung his tail toward her, shouting, "TAIL TORCH!" The cyborg took the blow to the face and tried to fight back. But just the thought of hurting Charmeleon made her hesitate, thus she took more blows.

He then placed his claws against the flame on his tail. This caused them to turn red and emit steam before he shouted, "FIRE SCRATCH!" sending a scratch down Magearna's upper body. As soon as a light bit of blood and oil dripped out, her eyes became a darker shade of red as she said in a more robotic tone, "Target acquired. Eliminate."

"What the hell?" Charmeleon uttered when the cyborg opened up her hands to reveal a pair of small gun barrels. A bright pink light formed while she shouted, "FLEUR CANNON!"

Charmeleon panicked and attempted to dodge. Unfortunately, he reacted too late, thus he took the beam to his gut and flew backwards into a nearby rock. The rock soon fell apart as the dragon was knocked unconscious, Magearna just about to kill him when she suddenly snapped back to her usual self and blinked.

"Oh no," she whimpered as she gazed upon him, "I hope I didn't hurt him too much," before hiding in a bush. The last thing she wanted was another reason to hurt someone, and for all she knew, there might very well have been other guards outside.

After taking out more guards, even killing a few along the way, Necrozma, Cosmog and Cosmoem had made it to their destination. Specifically, it was a big vault with a combination lock. Luckily, this hardly mattered since all three villains were more than strong enough to knock the door down.

And sure enough, right before them was exactly what they were after, the ancient beast stone. The group gazed upon its glory as Necrozma said, "Palossand and his group may have failed to make use of this, but we sure as hell won't."

"True that," Cosmoem replied with a grin when two more guards entered. However, Cosmog and the orb made quick work of them with a suplex from each.

"Well, that takes care of that," Necrozma stated while he pried the slab out of a large slot. He then implied a smirk with his eyes and said, "Time to bring this to Honolulu. The ultra beasts will live again and then the world will know what true fear is."

Cosmog and Cosmoem stared at him with wonder while he added, "Yes, the world thought they'd seen the worst when Giratina spread his havoc all throughout the land and Arceus was the only one who was able to stop him. They thought it couldn't get any worse than Deoxys and Groudon, both of which only Machamp could beat. They thought Giratina's revival and Hoopa's reign were the pinnacle of horror until Machoke defeated both of them! Then they thought Yveltal and Xerneas reuniting with Zygarde and turning him to their side was as bad as it could truly get! But no, nothing in history can compare to the terrible might of the ultra beasts!"

"Excuse me, but aren't they called the ancient beasts, you know, like the slab's name?" Cosmog enquired only for Cosmoem to sigh, "Do you honestly expect humans to remember their true name?"

"An excellent point," Necrozma replied, "That's right, those stupid humans have no idea what they had on display. It was smart of them to move it to Hero Planet, but the fact that it took one theft for them to realize it is pathetic. Did they learn nothing from the time Giratina's mask was stolen by Medicham and her allies?"

"Are the ultra beasts really that amazing?" Cosmog asked, Cosmoem about to scold him when the crystal man nodded and said, "Yes, they really are. No one was ever able to stop them. It took a wizard to sacrifice his life just to seal them into this stone. And even then, that's all he was able to do. He gave up his life and he wasn't even able to kill one of them."

"Wow!" Cosmoem exclaimed while her eyes sparkled, "I can't wait to revive them! Come on, let's go already!"

Once they exited the safe, an alarm sounded throughout the entire building. Unfortunately, with all the guards dealt with, this meant nothing. As such, the trio soon exited the building and met up with Magearna who breathed a sigh of relief.

Necrozma noticed the unconscious Charmeleon and said, "Good job, Magearna. You put the job ahead of your morals," as the cyborg nodded and uttered, "Well, I don't really remember beating him, but-"

She then shook her head and figured this was nothing. What mattered was that she and the others were close to achieving their dreams. All they needed was to bring the slab to a certain cave in Honolulu and world domination would be theirs.

During this time, Eevee and Popplio had finished their date and were headed home. The fox smiled at the seal and said, "Thanks so much for another wonderful time. I think I'm finally ready to move on."

"Tres bien," Popplio replied with a grin, "I think we all needed something to take our minds off of current events."

Soon enough, the two reached the seal's house before he asked, "Hey, you wanna stay the night?" Eevee's eyes sparkling as she squealed, "Hell yeah!" before speeding toward the door.

Popplio laughed before joining her and sighing, "Don't forget who has the key," before unlocking the door and opening it. He then bowed and added, "Apres vous, my lady."

Eevee giggled like a schoolgirl and walked inside, saying, "How kind," before giving him a wink.

All the while, Machop lay in bed next to Isamu and took a deep breath, saying, "It might take a while, but I really am starting to get over it all. I'm sure in due time, I'll be able to go about my life without thinking about the event."

Isamu nodded and replied, "That's great, honey," before kissing her on the cheek and yawning. And with all said and done, the two closed their eyes and fell asleep. They felt that at the very least, the future would be a lot brighter.

Little did they know just how wrong that assumption was. Necrozma and the others were headed to Earth on a space shuttle stolen from Hero Planet. Come next morning, the ultra beasts would be revived and the world would likely sink into chaos.


	84. Chapter 84

It was very early in the morning, specifically six o'clock in Tokyo, when Necrozma and his allies arrived in Honolulu. They parked the stolen spaceship in front of a cave located atop a big cliff and exited. And when they gazed upon the entrance, Necrozma spread out his arms and said, "Take it all in. This is the first step toward victory."

He then pulled the ancient beast stone out of the ship as Magearna suggested, "I could carry it there if you'd like. You all went to so much trouble to get it."

"It's fine," the crystal man replied, "You've been through a lot. You had to knock someone out to keep us safer. That had to have been hard for you."

'It certainly felt that way,' the cyborg thought as she looked back to her fight with Charmeleon. For almost a minute, he dominated her while she was too scared to fight back. She still did not remember how she managed to defeat him, but it certainly felt like nothing short of a miracle.

Either way, she and the others entered the cave while Cosmog smiled and said, "This is so cool. We're gonna meet the ultra beasts," before Cosmoem remarked, "Don't forget they'll also help us enslave humanity. Did you forget that little detail?"

The gas boy sighed, "Why do you always try to one-up me at everything?" Necrozma grumbling, "Stop bickering. You're about to witness something truly amazing."

All three followers watched in awe when he placed the slab into a rock formation similar to the slot used to hold it in place on Hero Planet. A bright glow came from it as the silhouettes of the ultra beasts separated from the stone and floated in the air. Soon enough, they all landed in front of the group and took on their original forms.

One was a muscular red mosquito with beefy human-like arms and four legs. His bulging muscles seemed to be made of transparent sacks. The muscles also had white veins running through them. He had black spikes on his shoulders, elbows and knees and his head was small and flat like a disc. Finally, he had four orange translucent wings on his back and was known as Buzzwole.

The second was a tall and slender white cockroach with a build like that of a fashion model. Her body had five segments dividing her torso. She had a long narrow neck and her face was like a semicircle. She had long thin legs with golden feet that resembled high-heel shoes. Finally, her shell hung down the back of her head but looked more like long, flowing white hair that folded at the bottom. She also had curved antennae that went all the way down to her ankles and her name was Pheromosa.

The next one was a tall and thin mass of electrical wiring. His head was a white star with multiple points but no face to be seen. The rest of his body was composed of big black cables held together by big white zip-ties. His forearms were consisted of two cables each that were separated between both ties with copper hands that looked like metal that had been cut up and bent. Each foot was made of two cables facing forward and one facing back with the pins looking more like claws. Finally, he had a tail that had one loose cable near the top. His name was Xurkitree.

One of them appeared to be a humanoid metal bamboo shoot with a drill atop a cylindrical hat that covered her eyes. Stemming from the hat was a long flat metal sheet that looked like hair and the lower half of her head was small and had a tiny mouth. Her long neck was divided into three fragments, all of which looked like individual necks. Her lower body looked like a four-layered dress with each layer being a different shade of green. Below the dress appeared to be an array of bamboo stocks with her arms, which floated next to her body and measured all the way up to her drill, looking like much bigger stocks. And at the bottom of each was a large opening revealing eight stock-like fingers. Her name was Celesteela.

The fifth beast was only a sixth of Necrozma's height and was a samurai made entirely out of mutated origami paper. His body was mostly white with a red underside and belly. His mouth was a four-sided yellow star and he had two antennae atop his diamond-shaped head. His long, thin arms were shaped like katanas and were sheathed to the center of his body. With his legs creased, he was Kartana.

The next was a huge black demon with a large mouth at the center of his belly. Lining the top and bottom of the mouth were sharp yellow fangs, the inside of it being blue and looking more like a tunnel, his spiked tongue resembling a conveyer belt. Over the mouth were blue semicircles that represented eyes and a yellow triangle for a nose, his real head right above it. Two small arms were located at the top of his body while two large vine-like ones with flytrap-like hands extended from his tongue when he opened his mouth. He was known as Guzzlord.

The last one was a white jellyfish with a blue rim around the edges of her head, which resembled a sun hat. Her tentacles were shaped like the hair, dress and legs of a girl and the bell atop her head had stars lining it. She was known as Nihilego.

Necrozma stared at them before implying a smile and saying, "Welcome back to reality," Cosmog and Cosmoem both in shock while Magearna thought, 'They have a cyborg in their team too.'

Buzzwole folded his arms and asked, "Tell me, are you the ones who have freed us from the slab?" as the crystal man nodded and replied, "Yes. Beings like us have been falling left and right and we need your help to take over this planet. Your powers would be a valuable asset to our goals."

Pheromosa looked him over and said, "Well, you do look quite strong and rather handsome to boot. Your allies look like they could use some work, but you did free us and you seem to have a common goal. I say we take this fine specimen up on his offer, don't you?"

"Hey, if it means a chance to finally get some grub after so long, I'm all for it!" Guzzlord chimed in as Xurkitree added, "Yes, and just think, I'll have so many human slaves and their money! So many things and more will be mine!"

Celesteela sighed, "Well, I don't have anything better to do," Kartana growling, "Those humans will pay for what they did to me! How dare they trap me, the mighty Kartana, in a stone slab!? It makes my blood boil!"

Nihilego nodded and said, "I've been waiting to get back at them too. Though I wanna be the one to take on the strongest allies. I may not look it, but I am pretty strong."

"Not as strong as me," Buzzwole remarked before flexing his muscles, looking at his sacks and adding, "Soon, you'll be full of delicious blood and then we can show the world how fabulous we truly are."

Necrozma nodded and replied, "Yes, they certainly will. Though I must warn you, things have changed quite a bit since your time. After all, you have been sealed up since the sixteen hundreds. Clearly someone needs to tell these humans what the word ancient means."

"Is that what they've been calling us all this time!?" Kartana retorted, "That makes me even angrier! Oh, they'll pay dearly!" brandishing his blades while Celesteela groaned, "You're just as loud as ever. I don't know why you can't just try to clear your mind and relax."

"You only say that because you're too lazy to actually fight!" the samurai retorted, "That's why you use that magnetic body of yours to do the work for you!"

Cosmoem narrowed her eyelids and sighed, "Are these guys really as amazing as the stories say?" Necrozma replying, "Look, their attitude toward all of this might not be ideal, but trust me. Once they enter the battlefield, you'll all be amazed."

"I'd rather we didn't have to resort to that," Magearna sighed, "But I know we don't have a choice," as Buzzwole implied a grin and said, "Just you wait. The world will be in the palm of our hands soon enough. No wizard will stop us this time."

Pheromosa nodded and replied, "Exactly. I do love making brave warriors squirm, though. Oh, it gives me such a thrill."

The others stared briefly until Necrozma sighed, "Okay, this is something that I have to get into. I'm well aware that back in the day, the only people who opposed you were humans, yes?"

"Well, yeah," Nihilego replied with a shrug, "They're the only creatures on this planet with the means to do so," Cosmog uttering, "Oh yeah, Pikachu wasn't born until the eighteen hundreds."

"Pika-who?" Xurkitree retorted before Necrozma sighed, "Yes, this is the first major change to the world that you'll need to know about. Humans no longer fight guys like us," the group staring at him as he added, "Yeah, since people are basically powerless to stop us with only two exceptions, one of which is dead and the other is a little too old, they rely on special help."

"Oh god, stop beating around the bush!" Kartana snapped, "Who do we have to fight now!?" Magearna uttering, "What Necrozma's saying is that you'll have to fight beings like us."

The ultra beasts stared silently for a few seconds. They could not believe this. There were creatures with powers like them working for the side of humans?

However, Guzzlord did not seem to mind this as he stroked his fake chin with one of his tongue arms and said, "Well, that would give me something new to try out," Buzzwole flexing and adding, "Bring it on! I'm so badass, they won't know what hit them!"

"Besides," Pheromosa added with a light smile, "I might even find someone worthy of my heart," only for Nihilego to retort, "Everyone knows you'll never settle down with anyone, because then you can't screw to your heart's content," the cockroach glaring at her.

"Pheromosa!" Buzzwole gasped as she turned to him and nervously uttered, "Oh, right, of course. You'll always be my number one," the mosquito remarking, "Darn tootin'."

Xurkitree folded his arms and said, "Well, it would give me more of a challenge and make my victories more impressive. I guess that's okay," Celesteela sighing, "As long as my magnetic arms can keep them away from me, I guess it's okay."

"Beings like us siding with humans!?" Kartana growled, "That makes me so mad! I'll slice them all to ribbons!" as Cosmog uttered, "You know, I think I just got why there's seven of them."

The others gave him an odd look until Necrozma shook his head and said, "Well, good. I had a feeling you wouldn't let that intimidate you, and I was right. I look forward to working alongside all of you," before holding his hand out.

With all said and done, Nihilego shook his hand and replied, "But of course. We've waited far too long for the chance to get back at this world for not accepting us. Sure, it seems like they do now, but as far as I'm concerned, it's way too late for them to redeem themselves."

The other ultra beasts nodded in agreement and soon enough, they all headed outside. They would all start with Honolulu and then spread their reign of terror to the entire planet. And they were certain that no matter who fought them, they would come out on top.

Once nine o'clock rolled around in Tokyo, Eevee and her friends decided to meet up at the Tokyo Day Club. While this was early for them, this just felt right, especially since the fox had finally decided to get over Mapin's death. And to top it off, they invited Machop and Isamu to join them since both had the day off from work.

"Thanks so much, guys," Isamu sighed, "We've been needing this since, well, you know," Machop saying, "It's okay, honey. You don't have to beat around the bush. I'm finally ready to move on."

"That's great," Eevee replied with a sweet smile, Caterpie adding, "Not gonna lie, I was really worried about you two. Last night, I had this horrible dream where a group of villains showed up and we all lost because you two were too choked up to-"

The others gave him an odd look until he laughed nervously, Eevee sighing, "It's fine, guys. I wouldn't be surprised if something like that really did happen during the last couple of months. But I'm fine now, so if any villains decide to rear their heads again, I'm ready for them!"

Popplio patted her on the shoulder and replied, "Tres bien," holding up his drink before everyone shared a toast.

Lycanroc took a sip of hers and sighed, "We should celebrate at the mansion later. It's one thing to go out to a five-star restaurant, but to live in the equivalent of one is just the best," Caterpie beaming at the sound of that. He would have gladly paid for a night out, but spending dinner with his friends at home felt more special to him.

"I can't wait," Chespin said with a grin, "She's right. Eating at your place is like eating at a fancy restaurant," Machop replying, "Come to think of it, we've never been to Caterpie's place before. This is exciting."

However, their good mood immediately came to a halt when the program currently on the TV was interrupted by a news bulletin. A young woman sat behind a desk and stated, "We interrupt your regularly scheduled program to bring you a news update from Hawaii, specifically Honolulu. Something terrible has happened. It seems that a group of villains have stolen the ancient beast slab and revived the horrible monsters who have spent over four thousand years trapped inside of it."

All of the guests stopped what they were doing and stared in horror, the woman adding, "We have Aikane Kamaka at the scene to interview the one who restored the ancient beasts right now."

Currently, the ultra beasts and their allies were in front of a store that had just been robbed and totalled. Xurkitree held many different electronic devices and said, "Wow, it's like they based all of this stuff off of me. No one else is allowed to touch these, got it?"

"I couldn't care less about that," Guzzlord remarked while he gulped down a frozen pizza still in the box, "This generation's food is magnificent. I don't even need human flesh."

"So, Mister Necrozma," a young Hawaiian woman enquired, "What exactly is your plan?"

"Since it's your job to ask such questions, I won't belittle you for asking something so obvious," the crystal man remarked, "But either way, we have only one goal in mind and that is world domination. As long as you all bow down to us, we won't harm a single hair on any of you," Magearna smiling at the sound of that.

But just as the interview was about to continue, three voices entered the area and snapped, "Hey, don't think for a minute we're gonna let you guys get away with this!"

The ultra beasts turned to see a red bird with white swirly earrings named Oricorio. Alongside her were Togedemaru and a blue koala named Komala.

Popplio blinked while Chespin asked, "Hey, wasn't that hedgehog mouse thing your finals opponent in the elimination tournament?" the seal nodding and sighing, "Oui. At the very least, he might be able to take out one of these guys."

"Who are you?" Nihilego asked as Oricorio struck a dancer's pose and replied, "I am Oricorio, the princess of the samba fighting style!" shaking her tail feathers while clapping her wings rhythmically.

The villains all stared awkwardly, Guzzlord asking, "What the hell is samba?" while Nihilego folded her tentacles and grumbled, "Showoff."

"I am Togedemaru," Togedemaru added while extending his quills, "I'm a descendant of the mighty Pikachu," the ultra beasts shrugging since so far, all they knew about that particular hero was that he was the first.

Komala drifted off while a sky-blue snot bubble emerged from his nose. As such, Togedemaru popped it with one of his quills, thus the koala blinked and uttered, "Right. I'm Komala. I may look hard to take seriously right now, but I'm a beast in combat."

"Whatever you say," Xurkitree remarked sarcastically as Cosmoem groaned, "This is just pathetic."

"Whatever," Necrozma sighed, "I assume you three are the heroes of Honolulu, right?" the trio nodding and striking fighting poses while the crystal man turned to the ultra beasts and added, "I take it three of you guys should be able to take them easily right?"

"Wouldn't it be easier if it was all eleven of us?" Celesteela sighed only for Buzzwole to remark, "Hey, it's fine. You don't have to fight them. If anything, this is a perfect chance for me to show the world my incredible skills!"

He then flexed his muscles and exclaimed, "See these muscles!? This is proof that I can defeat all three of them at once!" Pheromosa caressing his arms and sighing, "I missed admiring your physique. Though if it's not too much trouble, I'd like to help you out with this one."

"Well, alright," the mosquito remarked, "But I'm only doing this to make you feel included," as Nihilego advanced forward and grunted, "I'll be teammate number three, thank you very much."

Oricorio smirked and whispered, "They don't seem to work very well for an all-powerful team," as Togedemaru nodded and replied, "Oui. This'll be super easy."

The two then turned toward Komala who had once again fallen asleep. However, they decided not to wake him this time, but why at such a crucial moment was anyone's guess.

"Dang," Kartana grumbled with his blades folded, "I wanted to face them too," only for Necrozma to retort, "And waste your strength on these amateurs? Trust me, there are a lot of others to show off your skills on."

"How many is a lot?" Guzzlord enquired before Cosmog replied, "There are at least three hundred heroes in the entire world, including villains turned to the side of good," the ultra beasts not sure how to feel about this.

With all said and done, Oricorio immediately headed toward Buzzwole while Togedemaru rolled up into a ball and covered himself in electricity. He then sped toward Pheromosa like a boulder and shouted, "PORCUPINE ELECTROBALL!"

Nihilego stared at Komala and thought, 'Oh god, they get real opponents and I wind up with the sleepyhead? That's just unfair.'

However, she realized she would need to be careful when the koala's eyes glowed bright. His claws glowed as well and grew longer and sharper, his fangs doing the same. Now it seemed as if the jellyfish might have gotten the more powerful adversary.

Togedemaru rammed hard into an unprepared Pheromosa's gut as she gasped and flew backwards. Meanwhile, Oricorio spun with her wings and tail spread out and exclaimed, "FEATHER DANCE!" striking Buzzwole multiple times. He could not believe how much this hurt.

Nihilego seemed to have it the worst while Komala sent various slashes toward her. She tried her best to dodge but ultimately took one to her head. The other ultra beasts along with Necrozma's group stared in shock.

However, Buzzwole ignored the pain from Oricorio's feathers and grunted, "Don't get ahead of yourself." He then grasped onto her shoulders thus halting her dance and added, "The only reason that dealt so much damage is because I haven't been able to fill up my main power source in ages."

With that, he flew into the air and dove downward, planting the bird's back into the ground. He then pierced her neck with his proboscis and shouted, "LEECH LIFE!"

The guests at the club stared in horror, Chespin and Lycanroc covering their mouths when the mosquito started to drink Oricorio's blood. And sure enough, two of the transparent sacks on his arms started to fill up with the liquid thus causing the muscles in that spot to expand. This made it even harder for the bird to fight him off, her eyes and beak wide open.

Togedemaru turned and gasped, "ORICORIO!" only for Pheromosa to race toward him and send a barrage of kicks into his face. But when he tried to fight back, she winked at him and blew him a kiss, saying in a seductive tone, "Insect Charm."

This caused his eyes to fill up with hearts as he sighed, "Oh, mon amour, I did not notice how beautiful you are."

This was all she needed, thus she sent her knee into his face. She then leapt up and sent a barrage of kicks into the same spot, shouting, "BUTTERFLY BARRAGE!"

"That's cheating!" Eevee snapped as Lycanroc nodded and growled, "I'm not the least bit impressed!"

Seeing the others dominating made Nihilego green with envy. As such, she noticed another scratch coming her way and whipped out her tentacles. She then bound them to Komala's wrists, but rather than emitting electricity, she whipped out small purple claws and pierced his flesh with them, shouting, "POISON STINGERS!"

After a few seconds, Komala's burst of strength seemed to leave him. This was all the jellyfish needed as she wrapped her tentacles around his waist and leapt into the air, leaning backward and planting the back of his head into the ground.

With that, the koala was out cold while Togedemaru soon met the same fate. After all, he had just stood there while Pheromosa assaulted him with one hundred kicks. As if that was not enough, Oricorio had been completely sucked dry, thus her eyes had rolled to the back of her head and her feathers were a duller shade of red.

The announcer stared in horror and uttered, "It looks like the heroes of Honolulu not only lost, but I think Oricorio's dead," Buzzwole raising his arms in the air and shouting, "THAT WAS GREAT! I MISSED THE TASTE OF BLOOD!"

Eevee and her friends all stared with their eyes and mouths wide open. As if the heroes failing was not bad enough, to see one of them die was beyond painful. None of them even noticed the footage showing Magearna looking just as uncomfortable as they did.

Necrozma noticed this and wanted to get after Buzzwole for that, but he ultimately decided not to. Even he knew that the ultra beasts could at least defeat him when working together and the last thing he wanted was to get on their bad side.

"That was wonderful," Pheromosa said with a delicate smile, "And so thrilling. Never in my life have I ever felt like I truly earned a victory over someone! Oh, yes, I want more of this!"

Nihilego nodded and said, "Don't forget, I did just as well as you did," only for the cockroach to smirk and remark, "Don't flatter yourself, honey. You took longer than we did."

"Oh man," Celesteela sighed, "These guys can actually put up a fight. I might have to rely on more than just my arms," Xurkitree retorting, "Yeah, you'll actually have to work toward your goals for a change. Geez, why are you with us again?" all the while cradling his stolen electronics.

Magearna turned away from all of this as Cosmoem smiled and said, "You guys are so cool. You took care of them like they were nothing," Cosmog nodding and adding, "Yeah. You guys really are the ultimate allies."

"Naturally," Buzzwole replied with a smug look. He then turned to the reporter and said, "So, you're telling me this thing right here is, um, putting us on a record or something?"

"It's recording you," the woman uttered, "Everyone in the whole world is watching this right now on their televisions. It's a box with a screen on it," Guzzlord saying, "Oh yeah. We've seen plenty of those today. I could see myself sitting on a couch, eating this pizza stuff and watching it all day."

The others gave him an odd look while Necrozma face-palmed. Buzzwole nodded at the camera and stated, "That was pretty fun, but a little underwhelming. Back in the day, we felt pretty good taking over places by spreading fear across the land. However, fighting what you call heroes is intriguing."

"Where are you going with this?" Necrozma uttered as Celesteela sighed, "Oh god, don't do it," the other ultra beasts shaking their heads at her.

Buzzwole implied a smirk and stated, "I would like to issue a challenge to every single hero on Earth! We were gonna go from place to place and claim ownership of all those areas, but I have a much better idea! I invite any hero willing to face us to come all the way here to Honolulu and challenge us! We'll take on as many as we have to! But we'll only face whoever is able to make it here in the next twenty-four hours. Once we deal with all of those challengers, then we'll go back to our original plan. Oh, and by the way, we're not called the ancient beasts! We're called the ultra beasts! Get it right!"

"Oh no," Magearna whimpered, "We're gonna have to hurt more people?" as Necrozma sighed, "It sounds like we have little choice but to accept this. But on the upside, this will allow us to accomplish our goals sooner, so what the heck?"

"I say bring it on!" Cosmoem exclaimed with a grin, "We'll crush them all!" Cosmog nodding and replying, "It should be easy with the ultra beasts on our side."

Once the broadcast was over, Eevee took a deep breath and sighed, "Well, I don't know about any of you, but I'm taking a trip to Honolulu."

"Well, don't leave us out," Popplio remarked with a grin as Chespin added, "Exactly! Those beasts aren't so scary!"

Lycanroc and Caterpie turned to one-another and nodded in agreement. Machop beamed and said, "I'm sure you'll be awesome," before pounding her fist against Eevee's, Isamu adding, "Knock them dead."

Needless to say, this would certainly be tough. But Eevee and her friends were sure they could help out. At the very least, they would do their best to make sure no more heroes had to die.


	85. Chapter 85

Things had certainly taken a dark turn. Just as Eevee and Machop had finally gotten over Mapin's death, Necrozma and his allies revived the ultra beasts. To make matters worse, all three of Honolulu's heroes had gone down with ease with Oricorio having been murdered.

With all of this in mind, Eevee and her friends were at the airport ready to head off. Since this was such an urgent time, they were to receive a first class flight for free.

Machop watched them get their tickets and sighed, "This brings back memories," Isamu nodding and replying, "Yeah, I remember when the others had to go all the way to Kyushu to rescue you and Kelani from Yveltal and Xerneas. That was a frightening time."

"I still can't believe you blew your life savings just to sneak on board and make sure I was okay," Machop remarked before slugging him on the shoulder, "That was so sweet of you. It's a good thing you managed to make all that money back, eh?"

The man nodded and replied, "Well, your safety was worth every cent," the two sharing a kiss before approaching Eevee and the others.

"I know this is a lot to ask, but try to make it back in one piece, eh?" the woman said, Popplio nodding and replying, "Oui, we'll try our best. After the kinds of villains we've faced, I'm sure we can do it."

"Damn straight," Eevee added with a grin, "Seeing what they did to Oricorio, I can't just sit back and let them do that to others. I don't want us to lose anymore friends or allies."

Lycanroc nodded and said, "Same here. It's clear these guys are tough, but so are we. Heck, we dealt with the Tapu family," Caterpie sighing, "Yeah, I'm pretty sure after the nightmare that was Lele, I can handle this."

The wolf patted him atop the head while Chespin checked his phone, saying, "I just got an email from Litwick. She and Noivern are gonna come help us," the others more than happy to hear that.

"Needless to say, Umbreon and Crabrawler will be there too," Eevee added, "Though I worry about Crabrawler. I hope he doesn't lose his right hand again, or his left hand for that matter."

"I'm sure he'll be fine," Popplio replied with a grin, "If there's one thing I could tell from his match with Fini, it's that he doesn't give up."

"Either way, I imagine we'll probably have many allies for this," Chespin stated, "We're talking about a huge threat. There's no way the world's gonna sit back and let them take over."

With all said and done, the group was ready to head off. As such, they all gave Machop and Isamu a nice goodbye. But while they seemed confident, they were nervous about this. Mapin and the Tapu family may have been tough, but one could only imagine how much more threatening the ultra beasts were considering they were an even bigger threat than Giratina back in the day.

And sure enough, Litwick and Noivern were both on their way. Litwick let out a sigh and groaned, "I finally get to see Chespin again and it's for combat reasons."

"Yeah, I know you'd love to go on another date and catch up with him, but that's life," Noivern replied with a shrug, "But hey, we get to fight alongside them. That's pretty cool, right?" the candle shooting him a cute smile.

Umbreon and Crabrawler were on a flight of their own. The black fox took a deep breath and smiled, saying, "It'll be nice fighting alongside Eevee again. Hopefully, this time we'll have happier results."

Crabrawler nodded and looked at his right hand, uttering, "Yeah. And hey, maybe I can defeat one of these guys too."

Umbreon gave him a look of concern and said, "Look, don't let that get to you. I have no doubt you'll do fine. Even before you got your own style, you were still a great fighter, so don't sell yourself short."

The crab nodded and smiled back before patting the black fox on the shoulder. This was his chance to prove that his new style really was better and he was going to do it no matter what.

All the while, quite a few other heroes were on their way as well. One such duo was Decidueye and Torracat. After all, neither one would dare sit back and let the ultra beasts wreak havoc.

Another hero on her way to Honolulu was Cyndaquil. She had a big smile on her face since she could not wait to fight alongside her childhood friend. She just hoped that she could win, especially since she failed her first attempt at the final exam.

But of course, one particular hero who could not sit back while lives were at stake was Scorchicken. She had a serious look in her eyes as she thought, 'I might get to fight with Umbreon. That would be pretty cool.'

Meanwhile, on Hero Planet, Metapod had of course heard the news. He sat in his office and looked at a photo of his son and his wife. He took a deep breath and sighed, "He's probably gonna fight to the bitter end. And all the while, I'm gonna sit back in my office and do nothing about it."

He then looked at a gold trophy on a shelf and added, "It's funny. I've gotten so used to this cushy lifestyle, but I used to be incredible."

He remembered it plain as day. He was in the elimination tournament finals for the twenty-eighth Hero Olympics. He was representing Brazil as that was where he and Butterfree lived at the time, Beedrill having to spend most of his days on Hero Planet and govern it. Metapod's opponent was a yellow tapir named Drowzee.

Drowzee used psychic energy to toss the chrysalis around. But when he threw Metapod into the ropes, he was ready as he allowed the material to stretch back and launched himself forward like a slingshot. He then spun vertically toward the tapir and shouted, "CACOONERANG!"

The crowd cheered wildly when he accepted the small trophy and held it over his head. And back in present time, he smiled and sighed, "Yeah, that was really something, almost as memorable as my graduation."

Unlike Caterpie, Metapod had actually graduated, and his opponent was Beedrill. After all, the wasp did not want him to fight anyone else.

It was a tough match with Beedrill flying at him and jabbing him constantly with his stingers. However, since the chrysalis had a stronger body, he was able to handle it better than most opponents. And nearing the end, he allowed his father to pierce his sides as he latched onto both stingers. He then leapt into the air and flipped backward multiple times, shouting, "COCOONERANG SUPLEX!" planting the back of the wasp's head into the canvas.

He remembered the praise he received from his father and the loud cheers from those around him. Looking back to that moment brought a tear to his eye while he thought, 'I allowed myself to take in pain just to land the final blow. That really was something.'

He then looked at a photo of his parents in their youth and said, "I still remember how it was Dad who abolished the rule saying chairmen couldn't fight evil," and with that in mind, he smiled and thought, 'Son, I know I told you I wouldn't get involved with your life again, but this is far too important.'

He leapt out of his chair and headed toward the door to his office. However, he then turned toward the window and beamed bright. If he was going to go to Earth and help out, he may as well head off in style. As such, he flung himself toward the window like a boomerang and shattered it.

"Oh yeah!" he exclaimed, "That felt-" before looking down and losing focus. But after falling flat on his face, he pushed himself back up and sighed, "Okay, that could have gone better."

He then put on a more serious look and advanced toward the dock. Once he found the right shuttle, he would arrive at Earth in a flash. Needless to say, Caterpie and the others would certainly be surprised.

The hours seemed to fly by until Eevee and her friends arrived at Honolulu. When they exited, they noticed three other heroes there, including Snowshrew, the one who defeated Eevee on Hero Planet. However, what surprised the group was the fact that the number of them was so low.

Along with the pangolin were the black woodpecker, Trumbeak and a lemur with a green coconut half on his head named Passimian. Both looked tough, but they hardly seemed like enough to take on the ultra beasts and Necrozma's team.

"Guess the other flights are coming later," Eevee said with a shrug while Chespin looked around and asked, "Where are the villains? I thought they'd be here to check out the competition."

"Oh, didn't you hear?" Snowshrew enquired, "They want us all to head to Diamond Head. Apparently, we're supposed to get a few tour buses there once the twenty-four hours are up."

Popplio blinked and said, "I guess that is an appropriate place for an epic battle. Hopefully, there'll be more of us. There's not much time left."

Soon enough, a few other planes landed. The first to arrive was the one carrying Umbreon and Crabrawler. Both emerged as Eevee's eyes sparkled, the brown fox racing toward her sister and giving her a big hug.

"You made it!" she squealed before Umbreon laughed and patted her on the head, replying, "Of course I did. Osaka's not that far from Tokyo."

Popplio approached Crabrawler and said, "You're looking well, all things considered," as the crab nodded and stated, "Yeah. Though there is one major downside to all of this."

Before the seal could ask what it was, everyone was shocked to see Cyndaquil emerge from the next plane. As such, they all ran over to her to greet her. After all, they had not seen her since the semi-finals ended.

"How have you been?" Eevee asked, the shrew replying, "I've been awesome as always. Oh yeah, here are my allies," directing everyone's attention toward the blue blob, Wobbuffet and the grey rabbit, Bunnelby.

"Oh, I didn't know you were friends with those two," Lycanroc said with a smile while she held out her paw, Wobbuffet shaking it and saying, "It's very nice to meet you on this fine wobbly day," Bunnelby groaning, "I give up."

Caterpie smiled and said, "Things are looking up. Though I really hope we see more allies real soon."

Soon enough, the plane carrying Torracat and Decidueye arrived. And when both emerged, Eevee smiled and waved at them. After facing Decidueye in the Olympics, she knew at least he would make for a very good ally.

Umbreon smiled at all of this when suddenly, Scorchicken emerged from a plane with her cowgirl gear on. She smirked at the group and said, "Howdy," as the black fox beamed and ran over to her, stating, "Hey there. Glad you can join us."

"As if I'd pass this up," the chicken remarked while she shook her paw, "What kind of world champ would I be if I sat back and let you guys do all the work, eh?"

The others approached her as well, Caterpie sighing, "Now I feel much more at ease," the chicken adding, "Same here, partner," before pounding her fist against the tip of his arm.

Soon enough, Litwick and Noivern arrived before Chespin embraced the candle and shared a kiss with her. Of course, her flame expanded as a result and she wound up singeing his lips. But he ignored it and held his embrace, just glad to have her there to help out.

Noivern sighed, "It is strangely cute, isn't it?" the others nodding in agreement as Lycanroc said, "Good to have you here, buddy."

Strangely enough, though, by the time twenty-four hours were almost up, only one more hero arrived. Though while this was slightly distressing, the heroes at least outnumbered the villains. That would have to suffice.

However, the others could not help but wonder since this last ally was dressed in a cloak. Eevee blinked and asked, "Excuse me, but who are you?" the stranger replying in a raspy male voice, "I am the greatest ally you could ever ask for in this time of need."

Eevee tilted her head sideways and uttered, "Drampa, is that you?" the others panicking as the old dragon removed his cloak and grinned, replying, "The one and only! So, what do you think? Did I look awesome or what!?"

Umbreon's eye twitched while she growled, "Oh god, anyone but him," only for Drampa to reply, "Oh no, you are mistaken, my lady. I admit that my years of lechery were not exactly ideal, so I have decided not to violate teenaged girls anymore."

The black fox could see the sincerity in his eyes, thus she sighed with relief. However, her calm state immediately left her when he rested a hand on her shoulder and asked, "So, Umbreon, may I pretty please get a nice feel of your sweet, supple-"

Umbreon conked him over the head and growled, "Asking first isn't that much of an improvement!" the old dragon laughing weakly while the others face-palmed. They could not believe this guy would fight alongside them.

With that, the tour buses arrived as Eevee sighed, "Guess we only need one, eh?" the others nodding. And soon enough, all nineteen heroes were seated. Drampa wanted to sit next to Umbreon only for Scorchicken to claim the seat next to her. And of course, Eevee was with Popplio while Chespin sat with Litwick.

Ultimately, Drampa wound up alone as he sighed, "Oh well. I should have seen this coming," Cyndaquil sighing, "He's still creepy as hell."

Right now, all of the heroes felt a tad nervous. They almost had twice as many allies as there were villains, but even so, they knew this would not be easy. They had already seen a sample of what the ultra beasts could do and, at the very least, Necrozma looked intimidating.

Meanwhile, the villains in question stood atop a volcanic cone. Buzzwole was beyond excited as he said, "They should be here any second now. I can't wait to feast upon them all."

Magearna whimpered while Cosmoem sighed, "You're gonna have to deal with it," the cyborg nodding slowly. She still could not believe Necrozma did not try to stop the mosquito from resorting to murder.

"I just can't wait to see the competition," Pheromosa said with a seductive smile, "I want all the males to be my little slaves," only for Necrozma to retort, "I hate to break it to you, but just about every hero who would try to stand up to us is in his teens."

"You know we were all eighteen when we were sealed up, right?" the cockroach remarked as Cosmog sighed, "Thank god. She really is as young as she looks."

Celesteela rested two of her mechanical fingers against her chin and sighed, "I just hope there's not too many of them," Xurkitree groaning, "I reiterate my question yesterday. Why are you a part of this group again?"

"Can it!" Kartana snapped, "I just wanna make them all suffer! How dare they protect these judgemental humans!? It makes my blood boil!"

Soon enough, the buses all pulled up. Buzzwole blinked and uttered, "If they had wings like me, they wouldn't need these blocky looking things to move around," Xurkitree retorting, "Do not question tiknology! It's the greatest thing ever!"

"It's called TECHNOLOGY," Nihilego sighed with her tentacles folded, "I get to pick first, got it?" Buzzwole folding his arms and shaking his head.

The ultra beasts were all surprised, though, when only one bus opened up. Celesteela felt slightly relieved, but the others felt gypped. They were so certain more heroes would have shown up. And when they saw only nineteen emerge from a vehicle that was designed to fit at least fifty people in it, they were even more surprised

Buzzwole blinked and uttered, "Hey, Necrozma, what is this? I thought you said there were hundreds of these hero types all over the world."

"There are," the crystal man replied, "I guess they were more scared of you than I figured they'd be. Either that or most of them probably weren't able to get here on time."

Scorchicken folded her arms and grunted, "Hey, don't think we can't take all of you! Heck, I'm the world champion!" the beasts all staring silently as Cosmog gasped, "Oh my god, it's her!"

"That's right," Cosmoem uttered, "Her Olympic finals match has gone on record as the shortest one! I should have known she'd be here!"

Cosmog stared briefly at her until she cleared her throat and fibbed, "Not that I'm scared or anything. We can take her down with ease."

Buzzwole folded his arms and said, "Well, if you're a champion, then I'll enjoy beating the crap out of you!" before flexing his muscles and adding, "Name's Buzzwole! I'm what you'd call the champion of the ultra beasts!"

Celesteela let out a sigh and rose her arms while the other ultra beasts looked poised for battle. However, Necrozma nodded and said, "Hold on. Ever since Pikachu entered the picture, there's been a bit of a tradition when it comes to good versus evil struggles."

"Wait, seriously?" Nihilego retorted, "Are you honestly telling me that we, the symbol of evil, have a code of honour?" the other ultra beasts just as confused by this. Even Celesteela found this weird, and she was the least enthusiastic about all of this.

"He's right," Eevee stated as the beasts turned to her, "We settle our problems in the wrestling ring with a series of one-on-one or two-on-two matches. If you guys have at least one member left by the time this ends, you're free to take control of Honolulu. But if even so much as one of us is left standing, you have to abide by our terms."

The brown fox received weird stares for this. And when the ultra beasts turned to Necrozma, he nodded his head to confirm this. However, rather than feeling disappointed, they looked intrigued.

"So it's like we all get to pick our own victims," Xurkitree stated while stroking the bottom of his head, "I like it," Celesteela sighing, "Good. That means I can only fight one at a time. That makes things so much simpler."

"Well, as much as I'd rather mow you all down immediately, this is more fair," Kartana added, "Besides, it means I can drag this out even longer and enjoy my revenge on all of you for not siding with us."

"Now I get to choose which handsome young man to make my first slave," Pheromosa cooed, "This will be fun," before winking at all the males, all of them tensing up save for Drampa who panted at the cockroach like a puppy.

This was the first time Pheromosa had noticed him. As such, she shuddered and groaned, "Okay, if any of you want to fight him, be my guest. He terrifies me," Drampa sighing, "Oh, fiddlesticks. I should have known she wouldn't want an old coot like me for a slave."

"You mean you wanted to be her servant!?" the others retorted with looks of irritation, Drampa shrugging his shoulders with a creepy smile.

Buzzwole struck a cool pose and said, "Good. I can pick the toughest ones out of the bunch and leave the rest of you with the scrubs," Nihilego barking, "Don't you dare! I want at least a couple of challenging opponents!"

Guzzlord licked his giant lips and said, "I don't care who I get. They all look tasty, especially that little mouse." He then turned his gaze to Cyndaquil who whimpered and hoped he did not pick her. As confident as she was, she did not wish to fight someone who would likely eat her whole.

"Good to know you're all okay with this," Necrozma stated, "Though fox girl, I would have rather given that description myself, thank you very much," the brown fox blinking.

Now that everything had been cleared up, everyone could not help but wonder how the ultra beasts would go about this. Seven would be chosen to face them while four more would go up against Necrozma and his allies. But could the heroes win? And just how much longer would it be until Metapod showed up to help them? Only time would tell.


	86. Chapter 86

With the ultra beasts now up to speed with how the fights would work, Necrozma stated, "Alright, we have set up a ring on the very top of this area," pointing behind him to the fight area in question.

"You know, we never did take the time to ask what that was for," Xurkitree uttered while the crystal man continued, "This is where one set of fights shall take place. Spread out across Honolulu are five additional rings. The tour buses can take you to those locations if you'd like."

"Oh, I think I get it," Umbreon stated, "So you're saying we'll all be divvied up into even groups with two villains stationed at each ring. Is that right?"

"Exactly," Necrozma replied, "Though since there are only eleven of us, one ultra beast will have to take a ring by him or herself."

"Don't look at me," Celesteela remarked with her arms folded, "I definitely want help," as Nihilego stated, "Then I'll take the sixth ring."

"Aw, come on!" Buzzwole retorted, "I'm way more worthy!" only for Pheromosa to stroke his biceps and whimper, "But if you take the sixth one, I won't be able to fight alongside you," the mosquito nodding and sighing, "Fine. You get your wish, Nihilego."

"Oh, god, she has the hots for him and yet wants a bunch of male slaves," Caterpie whispered to Lycanroc, "She's the worst girlfriend ever," the wolf nodding in agreement.

The jellyfish took a deep breath and bowed her head to Pheromosa. Guzzlord, meanwhile, nodded and said, "I could use a hunting buddy, I guess."

Necrozma nodded and said, "Okay, we have our single fighter and our first team. I'm gonna pair up with Magearna," the cyborg nodding with a light smile, "And I'm sure Cosmog and Cosmoem would rather work together, right?"

Cosmog turned to his sister and shrugged his shoulders, saying, "I don't have a problem with that," Cosmoem sighing, "Just as long as I get most of the action, I'm fine with this."

Crabrawler stared at all of this and uttered, "There doesn't seem to be much harmony between most of these guys. This might not be as difficult as we first thought," only for Umbreon to fold her arms and reply, "That is possible, but it's still best not to let our guards down."

The remaining four ultra beasts had to think a bit until Kartana leapt up onto Guzzlord's shoulder and asked, "Would you like to be my partner?" the demon shrugging and replying, "Sure. But just remember, I get all of the scraps."

Xurkitree then turned to Celesteela and groaned, "What the hell, Kartana!? Why did you leave me with the sloth!?" the bamboo shoot sighing, "I don't even care."

Eevee was starting to think the same thing as Crabrawler right now, and it was not long until the others noticed it too. Outside of the first two confirmed teams, none of these ones seemed to work well together. One could only guess how such a dysfunctional team was once one of the biggest threats to the world, but either way, this looked promising.

Once their teams were sorted out, now it was all a matter of picking their opponents. All of them huddled into a corner as Buzzwole stated, "As I said earlier, I'm only picking the strongest out of this group. Those are the only ones worthy of taking on one as amazing as I," before kissing his biceps.

Necrozma nodded and replied, "In that case, you'll probably want Scorchicken and Umbreon," pointed at the chicken and black fox, "Both of them fought in the Olympic finals, and as Scorchicken stated, she's the world champion."

The mosquito nodded and said, "Well, thanks for the tip. Also, I think I'm gonna pick that weird dragon, too. I don't like the looks he gave you, Pheromosa," the cockroach blushing and sighing, "Oh, Buzzwole, you're so sweet. Promise you'll turn him into a skeleton by the time you're through."

Buzzwole patted her on the shoulder and replied, "Anything for my little tulip," kissing her on the cheek before adding, "I'll take the crab too. He looks tough."

Xurkitree groaned, "Aw, you get four? Fine, I'm claiming five then," only for Nihilego to retort, "No, because then it won't be even. We have six teams and there's nineteen of them. Buzzwole just evened it out."

The cable collection folded his arms while Celesteela breathed a sigh of relief, saying, "If it's alright, any of you guys can take one of our opponents," only to receive a smack to the head.

"It's fine," Xurkitree grumbled before he looked over the heroes and said, "I'll take that igloo rat thing, the owl and the cat. Any objections?" glaring at Celesteela who sighed, "Fine."

Necrozma blinked and said, "You know, Nihilego is fighting by herself. You'd better claim one more," Xurkitree replying, "Thanks, sir," while the bamboo shoot groaned, Nihilego folding her arm tentacles and growling, "I can totally handle three."

With that in mind, Xurkitree decided to add Trumbeak to the mix, Celesteela hoping this would be easy. And with that, Guzzlord looked over the competition and licked his lips, saying, "I already called dibs on the mouse," pointing at Cyndaquil.

Kartana nodded and said, "Well, that's one. Necrozma, you got any suggestions?"

The crystal man nodded and pointed at Lycanroc and Noivern, replying, "Those two are traitors. I bet you would love to tare them limb from limb, wouldn't you?" the samurai fuming and growling, "Oh yeah. I'll slash them into ribbons."

Nihilego was tired of letting the others pick and therefor said, "I'll take that rabbit and that blob. I get the feeling they're both stronger than they look," the others giving her odd looks but not questioning it.

Cosmoem nodded and said, "I'm taking Eevee and Popplio," Cosmog asking, "You sure about that? They are Tokyo's best heroes."

The ultra beasts stared at them then at the fox and seal before uttering, "Them? Seriously?" while Cosmoem remarked, "That's exactly why I want those two. Both would make for great opponents, wouldn't you agree?"

Nihilego fumed and thought, 'Damn, if I knew they had such a strong reputation, I would have picked them. What was I thinking?' while the siblings decided to pick Passimian just to even things out.

"Guess that leaves us with Chespin, Litwick and Caterpie," Necrozma said, "The first two I couldn't care less about, but Caterpie is the son of Hero Planet's chairman. Imagine how the world will react to his defeat," Magearna whimpering, "Just as long as you don't kill him, okay?"

The heroes, meanwhile, all stood idly by as Eevee groaned, "Are they gonna pick who to fight or are they just going to leave us hanging?" Popplio adding, "I just hope we get to work together."

"I'm with you on this," Torracat replied, "I just want to know who I'm fighting so I can stop them!" Decidueye adding, "Same here. They think they can mess with our world but they have another thing coming."

With all said and done, Necrozma turned to the heroes and stated, "Alright, we've decided on who we're gonna face. Caterpie, Chespin and Litwick, you will fight Magearna and I here," the caterpillar tensing up before Lycanroc patted him atop the head and smiled sweetly at him. She had faith that he could do this.

Chespin and Litwick, meanwhile, smiled at one-another. Just the fact that they would get to fight as a team made them happy no matter which opponents they got.

Cosmoem pointed at Eevee and Popplio, adding, "We'll see you in the ring soon enough, just you wait," Cosmog adding, "Oh, and you too, Passimian."

The lemur folded his arms and replied in a sophisticated voice, "A chance to fight alongside Tokyo's best. How intriguing," Eevee and Popplio staring at him.

Necrozma proceeded to give the others a rundown of who they would face. Needless to say, as soon as Drampa heard he would have a chance to face Pheromosa, he beamed bright only for Buzzwole to bark, "Don't even think about it, old man! I'm gonna be the one to fight you! I wouldn't dare let you lay a finger on my darling!"

"He might be too good for her," Scorchicken whispered, shuddering at the thought while Umbreon nodded and sighed, "Yeah. I'm surprised he's okay with her attitude toward all of this."

Torracat and Decidueye smirked at Xurkitree and Celesteela, seeing this as a good challenge. And of course, Snowshrew and Trumbeak were more than ready as well, the woodpecker saying, "Don't feel too bad if we end up beating them instead of you guys, okay?"

Torracat sighed, "Assuming they pick you first," while Caterpie turned to Lycanroc and wished her luck. After all, while Kartana may have been the shortest one in the area, that made him slightly more intimidating. Not to mention Guzzlord terrified him.

The wolf gave him a hug and a peck on the forehead before coaxing, "I'll be fine. I got Cyndaquil and Noivern helping out," the caterpillar nodding and sighing, "Okay. Just don't get eaten, alright?"

Lycanroc nodded and joined the group, pounding Noivern and Cyndaquil's fists. The caterpillar had a feeling she would be okay, but he still could not help but worry.

Wobbuffet looked at Nihilego and grunted, "I'm gonna make her bones wobble," Bunnelby blinking and uttering, "Well, I guess that one actually kind of worked."

Of course, the two most prepared for this were Umbreon and Scorchicken with Crabrawler really hoping he could help out in case either of them lost. He was not so sure if Drampa would provide much assistance, especially since he could not handle copious amounts of pain.

With all said and done, the heroes boarded into separate tour buses to be taken to their locations, Caterpie, Chespin and Litwick being the only ones to stay behind. All three waved to their friends while they returned the gesture through the windows. And soon enough, they were off, thus Buzzwole said, "Well, I guess we'd better be off too. Don't want those machines beating us to the punch, do we?"

Pheromosa shook her head and leapt into his arms as he spread out his wings and took to the sky. Celesteela let out a disappointed sigh since she knew she would need to do the same and thus she and Xurkitree headed off. Though the cable collection had to slow down a bit just so her slow and sluggish body could keep up. Needless to say, he was not happy about this.

Guzzlord had Kartana seated on his shoulder while he jumped off the side of Diamond Head and slid down it. Due to his massive body, this was easy for him to do without hurting himself. And sure enough, once they reached the bottom, he marched onward while Kartana seemed to enjoy the ride.

Nihilego floated away from the area to follow the bus carrying Wobbuffet and Bunnelby, thinking, 'I'll show them all just how good I am. I'm even better than Buzzwole. They'll see.'

Finally, Cosmog and Cosmoem headed to where Eevee, Popplio and Passimian were going. As it so happened, both of them were able to fly, though while Cosmog could do it because of his gaseous body, no one really knew how his sister was able to pull it off.

Seeing that everything was in order, Necrozma implied a smirk and said, "Alright, guess we may as well start the first match," before heading toward the ring, Magearna taking a deep breath and following close behind. A part of her really hoped he would do all the work. She still felt bad about how badly she had hurt Charmeleon on Hero Planet.

Once they reached the ring, Necrozma stepped into it and asked, "Magearna, are you alright with partaking in one more fight?" the cyborg staring at him as he added, "I promise, if all goes well, this will be the last one, at least for the time being. Not so sure about when we head to the other areas of the world, you know."

Magearna took a deep breath and replied, "Okay, as long as this is the last time," climbing into the ring alongside the crystal man.

With that, Necrozma turned to face Chespin and Litwick and stated, "Alright, for the first match, I challenge Chespin and Litwick to a team match between Magearna and I," the cyborg's eyes sparkling while she thought, 'Oh, I see. So I'll be fighting alongside him.'

She breathed a sigh of relief, glad to know that she would not fight either of them by herself. Chespin, meanwhile, beamed and said, "Hey, this is awesome. We get to fight together," Litwick nodding with a big smile of her own.

With that in mind, both leapt into the ring as the chipmunk smirked and said, "Don't take us lightly. I defeated Tapu Koko," Necrozma nodding and replying, "Yes, I heard about that. That's why I wanted to challenge you specifically. I heard your track record up to that point wasn't very impressive, so to think that you could defeat someone with that kind of power is certainly interesting."

Caterpie, meanwhile, took a seat on the grass and said, "Do your best out there, guys," thinking, 'Please do! I don't wanna fight them by myself!'

Chespin gave the caterpillar a thumb up and replied, "Remember who you're taking to here," Litwick's flame increasing as she squealed, "Same here! I may be short, but I'm strong!"

Surprisingly, despite not being as fast as Buzzwole, Nihilego was the first of the ultra beasts to arrive at her assigned location. Though this was mainly due to her match taking place at a nearby beach while the other locations were generally farther away. And once she arrived, the bus carrying her opponents showed up as both of them leapt out.

"You may have beaten us to the ring, but that doesn't mean you'll beat us in combat!" Bunnelby barked, Wobbuffet adding, "We're gonna wobble your world!" the rabbit lowering his head and sighing.

Nihilego folded her tentacles while Bunnelby looked back up and enquired, "So, which one of us will you face first?"

Just as she was about to choose, she thought, 'No! I know I'm good enough to measure up to Buzzwole and Pheromosa's level,' and with that in mind, she pointed at them both and said, "I know the idea is for these battles to be one-on-one, but I welcome the challenge. Therefor I will fight both of you at once."

Wobbuffet and Bunnelby turned to one-another and beamed. They were already confident before, but now they were allowed to fight as one. Needless to say, this made them very happy.

Buzzwole and Pheromosa were the second to show up at their location, specifically a forest, though since the mosquito had slowed down a bit to take in the sights, the bus had barely managed to arrive at the same time. All four heroes emerged as Drampa smiled wide and said, "Hey there, Pheromosa."

The cockroach folded her arms and turned away from him while Buzzwole pointed two fingers at his eyes and redirected them back at the dragon. There was no doubt in his mind. He was going to make sure the old lecher never looked at his girlfriend like that again.

However, it seemed as if he had something else in mind when he grunted, "As much as I want to punch your disturbing face in, Grandpa, luckily for you, I'd rather take on the best first. Therefor, my girl and I will face off against you two," pointing at Umbreon and Scorchicken before asking, "What were your names again?"

"I am Umbreon," the black fox replied, the chicken adding, "And I'm Scorchicken. You'd better remember those names, because we're gonna make you wish you stayed in your slab forever."

Crabrawler took a deep breath and smiled, saying, "Damn straight. You have no idea what you've gotten yourselves into," as Pheromosa remarked, "Please. I may be skinny, but that doesn't mean I'm weak. I'll see you in the ring soon enough," shooting him a wink.

The crab tensed up while Umbreon narrowed her eyelids and leapt into the ring. Scorchicken joined her and grinned. Both were more than ready for this, thus they pounded their fists together.

Guzzlord and Kartana arrived at a mountainous region, the demon being surprisingly fast for someone so huge. Lycanroc, Cyndaquil and Noivern were already there, though all three were confused when they noticed the ring was suspended over a big pit. Luckily, there was a big metal pillar holding it in place along with chains, so it was not as if the ring would be too unstable to support the fighters.

Guzzlord looked at this and said, "I hope he doesn't expect us to throw anyone down that hole," as Kartana sighed, "Yeah. As much as I want vengeance, I don't want to resort to that."

The villains then turned to the heroes as Lycanroc narrowed her eyelids and grunted, "So, which of you will go first?" Kartana replying, "Oh, we'd like to make good use of that two-on-two concept. Therefor, the two of us will face you first," pointing at Noivern and Lycanroc.

Both grinned at one-another since they could not have asked for a better setup. But just as they were ready to enter the ring, Guzzlord whined, "But Kartana, I wanted to fight the mouse!"

"I'm a shrew, thank you very much," Cyndaquil retorted with her arms folded before Kartana sighed, "Fine. We'll take the bat and the shrew. Are you happy now?" the demon nodding his real head.

Now Noivern was not so sure. As confident as he was in his own abilities, he had at least fought alongside Lycanroc before. Cyndaquil, on the other hand, he knew very little about. But even so, he knew he would need to put his faith in her as he nodded and held out his wing, saying, "It will be my pleasure to fight alongside you."

Cyndaquil shook the wing and replied, "Likewise," Lycanroc grinning and saying, "I know you'll both do a great job. I might not even need to do anything, eh?" winking at them.

Noivern's confidence grew while he picked up Cyndaquil with his feet and flew toward the ring. Guzzlord blinked as Kartana said, "I see. So entering the ring will be part of the challenge. Lift me up and throw me like a ninja star."

However, he froze when Guzzlord whipped out his tongue arms and latched the pincers to the side of the ring. He then used them to pull himself upward and into the ring, everyone equally impressed by this. They thought for sure that someone that heavy would not be able to pull that off so easily.

"This works," Kartana stated with a shrug. And with that, all four fighters were ready.

Cosmog and Cosmoem were set to fight in a local park. When they arrived, they noticed Eevee, Popplio and Passimian already there. The orb turned to her brother and asked, "Think you can handle this?" as he replied, "Of course I can."

Eevee narrowed her eyelids and asked, "Alright, so whose clock will I clean first?" only for Cosmoem to reply, "Actually, we figured we'd save you and Popplio for last since you're the ones we want to fight the most. No, I would like to request a singles match with Passimian."

The lemur folded his arms and remarked, "So you see me as nothing more than a warmup, do you? You will regret that mentality," before leaping into a nearby ring and striking a fighting pose.

Cosmog folded his arms and said, "Good luck," only for Cosmoem to stick out her tongue and retort, "Who do you think you're talking to? I don't need luck."

She then leapt into the air and performed a few flips before landing firmly against the ring. She smirked at Passimian and said, "You'd better not disappoint."

Finally, the last to arrive at their location were Xurkitree and Celesteela, though with how slow and lazy the bamboo shoot was, this was not surprising in the slightest. They were to fight at a power plant, Xurkitree looking around and saying, "I like this place."

"Finally," Trumbeak sighed, "Do you know how long we've been waiting?" as the wire collection retorted, "Hey, shut up! It's not my fault my partner's slow!" Celesteela not even in the mood to argue with him about that.

He then leapt into the ring and stated, "Anyway, I was gonna face just one of you myself, but Celesteela here needs motivation," the bamboo shoot's eyes widening as he added, "As such, both of us will face the woodpecker and whatever you are," pointing at Snowshrew before he sighed, "I'm an African anteater known as a pangolin. I'm pretty sure my kind existed back in your time."

Celesteela sighed and entered the ring, hoping Xurkitree could handle both of them by himself. Meanwhile, Trumbeak lifted up Snowshrew with her talons and flew upward, hurling him into the air as he spun vertically. He then landed perfectly on his feet and spread his arms out, Celesteela blinking and saying, "That was pretty neat."

Just as the matches were about to begin, news crews showed up to record them. After all, no bleachers were set up and as such, this was the only way the fighters would have an audience. And of course, just about everyone in the world was tuned in to witness the first round of fights to decide the world's fate. Would the heroes win and end it all right here or would a second set of fighters need to finish what they started?


	87. Chapter 87

In the beach area, Nihilego was more than ready as she hovered in the ring and enquired, "So, are you both ready to lose?" Bunnelby smirking and retorting, "You may be an all-powerful beast, but I've done my research. The only reason you and the other ultra beasts were such a massive threat to the world was because guys like us didn't oppose you back then."

"Exactly," Wobbuffet added, "The worst you had to deal with was the wizard who sealed you all up. Unfortunately for you, that is no longer the case."

The rabbit turned to the blob and uttered, "Oh my god, you just went an entire statement without mentioning wobbling," Wobbuffet shrugging his shoulders and replying, "Eh, I figured why not," Bunnelby sighing, "Don't try to copy your father now. It doesn't work for you."

Nihilego stared silently at both of them and started to lose patience as she rushed toward both of them. And before either could react, she spread out both arm tentacles and slapped them hard into their necks. But while Bunnelby fell on his back, Wobbuffet ignored the pain and swung his own arm into Nihilego's chest.

The jellyfish gasped in shocked before Bunnelby used his ears to propel himself up and planted his feet into that same spot. He then righted himself up, balled up his ears like fists and sent them repeatedly into her, shouting, "BUNNY MACHINEGUN!"

Nihilego could not believe how strong this was. However, she refused to accept this, thus she wrapped her tentacles around the rabbit's ears. Luckily, though, Wobbuffet was ready as he stood behind Bunnelby and said, "Come on, it's time to initiate plan D."

Bunnelby nodded while Nihilego uttered, "Where's B and C?" the blob laughing and replying, "The D stands for desperate."

With that in mind, Bunnelby rose his feet and sent them backward into his partner's gut. Nihilego was confused until she noticed that once again, Wobbuffet ignored the hit and leapt toward her, sending his droplet-like feet into her face. As such, she released her hold on Bunnelby and allowed him to wrap his ears around her.

"Just so you know, Wobbuffet here isn't your typical, everyday hero," he stated with a grin, "See, he and his family don't really have their own moves, but they got really powerful bodies that can handle copious amounts of pain. And whenever they get hit, they're able to retaliate with the exact same move with twice as much strength."

Nihilego stared in shock and thought, 'Wow, what an impressive power,' as Wobbuffet batted himself on the side and jiggled like a bobblehead. He then smiled and added, "I told you I'd wobble your world, and I seem to have rattled your brain."

"At least you used a different term the second time," Bunnelby sighed before leaning backward and shouting, "EAR SUPLEX!" planting Nihilego's skull into the canvas.

But when he released his hold, Nihilego did not collapse. She remained upright on her head and grunted, "Wobbuffet, you're not the only one whose body is rubbery enough to handle pain. After all, I'm a jellyfish, so I can handle it pretty well too."

She then pointed all of her tentacles out and shouted, "ACID SPRAY!" releasing that very substance from the tips of them and spinning like a fountain. Bunnelby closed his mouth tight but wound up breathing in the substance through the nose while his skin also burned slightly from the acid. Wobbuffet, however, encased himself in a pink aura and shouted, "PSYCHIC COUNTER!"

As such, the acid circled around him before he sent it back toward Nihilego. And while she wound up drenched in it, it seemed to have no effect as she sighed, "Unfortunately for you, I'm a rock and poison type, so this has no effect on me."

Wobbuffet started to worry when he noticed Bunnelby looking weak. This was all Nihilego needed as she leapt toward him and sent her feet hard into his gut. The blob wanted so badly to help, but it was just like Bunnelby said. Unless the jellyfish attacked him again, he could not fight back.

And it only looked worse when the rabbit received multiple slaps to the face. After a while, Nihilego wrapped her tentacles around his ears and lifted him up, leaning backward and releasing her hold on him. As a result, he flew into an unsuspecting Wobbuffet and knocked him down with him.

"There," Nihilego grunted as she turned to face both, "Tell me how you plan to counter that," horror taking over when the blob lifted the rabbit up by the ears and rose to his feet.

"Are you okay with this?" Wobbuffet asked, Bunnelby uttering weakly, "This is the only option."

As such, the blob hurled him toward Nihilego as both shouted, "BUNNY SHOT PUT!" but when the rabbit flew into the jellyfish's gut, she ignored the pain and wrapped her tentacles around him again.

"As I told you before, I can handle pain just as well as you can," she growled as she wrapped her leg tentacles around Bunnelby's neck. She then unleashed two purple claws from her tentacles and pierced his flesh with them, leaping into the air and shouting, "JELLYFISH POISONED PILEDRIVER!"

Sure enough, the back of Bunnelby's head hit the canvas, thus he coughed up blood and slowly closed his eyes, uttering, "Finish her off for me."

And with that, he was unconscious while Nihilego hurled him out of the ring. Wobbuffet stared in shock and turned to her, growling, "How dare you! He's my best friend in the whole wobbly world!"

With that in mind, he raced toward her and thought, 'Come on, I have to be able to use fighting moves. I mean, anyone can slap someone or throw a punch, right!?' but when he got close enough and sent his palm into her gut, it had no effect whatsoever. As such, the blob stared in horror and uttered, "Oh yeah, that's why we Inogs don't use our own techniques. They don't work."

He then shook his head back and forth and spat, "WOBBLE-WOBBLE-WOBBLE!" as Nihilego took hold of his shoulders and hurled him into the air. She then propelled herself to his level and flipped upside-down, wrapping her leg tentacles around his hips.

She flipped one hundred and eighty degrees and descended toward the canvas, growling, "You are annoying! TENTACLE LEG DRIVER!"

Sure enough, Wobbuffet's skull hit the canvas hard. This dealt just enough to damage to knock him out and thus he was unable to retaliate with the same move. As such, Nihilego rose her tentacles in the air and thought, 'There! I defeated both of them in a short period of time! And Buzzwole has the gall to claim that I'm not as good as he is!'

During this time, Trumbeak and Snowshrew were more than ready to face Xurkitree and Celesteela at the power plant. Torracat and Decidueye sat idly by as the cat exclaimed, "Go get em, guys! You rule!" Decidueye adding, "Yeah, you might not even need us!"

"Damn straight," Trumbeak replied with a smirk, "We're more than ready for this, right, Snowshrew?" the pangolin nodding and saying, "Exactly. If anything, I've been craving a real challenge since I came to Earth."

"Is that so?" Xurkitree remarked with his hands against his hips, "You know, I want as many challenging opponents as well. Ever since I heard that your kind was opposing us, I feel like I can finally get some satisfaction from battles on Earth. You'd better not disappoint me."

Celesteela groaned, "Please do," as the cable collection sighed, "I'm not even gonna ask again."

With all said and done, Xurkitree wasted no time racing toward the heroes. Trumbeak smirked and took to the sky before he could grab her. And with him distracted, Snowshrew tucked himself into a ball and rammed into his ankle. Trumbeak took full advantage of this and flew toward him with her beak ready to strike.

"This will be easy," Trumbeak stated with a smirk, "I could tell right off the bat that you're the only one one your team-"

However, she was cut off when Celesteela shouted, "FLASH CANNON!" sending a large beam from her right hand into the woodpecker. Xurkitree turned to her and said, "Oh yeah, I forgot all about that."

"While it's true that I can't move very well, I don't have to when in combat," Celesteela explained with a light smile, "Thanks to my helping hands here, I don't need to move in order to hit my adversaries. I just control them with my mind."

Trumbeak's body twitched while Snowshrew stared at her in horror and uttered, "Are you okay?"

The woodpecker shook her head and pushed herself up, grunting, "I'll be fine. I just didn't think she could actually do that. But now that I know she's a legitimate threat, I think we'd be better off if at least one of us goes after her. After all, she just revealed that her movements are slow, meaning it'll be hard for her to dodge any incoming attacks."

Snowshrew nodded and stated, "Right. I'll focus on Xurkitree while you take on Celesteela," Trumbeak smiling and giving him a feather up. While the beam was powerful, she was still able to stand and that was good enough for her.

Celesteela readied her arms as Xurkitree said, "Good to see you taking this more seriously. I was worried I might actually have to face them alone," the bamboo shoot sighing, "You've seen what my arms can do before. Don't pretend that you haven't."

Snowshrew raced toward Xurkitree again, only this time he encased his body in ice and shouted, "ATLANTIC BOULDER!" Xurkitree using all his might to force the pangolin away from him. However, he found this difficult and thus planted the spark plug on his tail into the canvas, shouting, "POWER CHARGE!"

At that moment, electricity ran through his entire body as he managed just enough strength to shove Snowshrew away from him and into the turnbuckle. Thanks to the ice coating, he did not take in any damage from this, but even so, he could not help but stare in shock. Not even his strongest opponents had ever pulled that off before.

All the while, Trumbeak soared around Celesteela to confused her each time she attempted to charge up her arm cannons. But when the woodpecker flew toward her, she crossed her arms and blocked the incoming strike. With that, she threw her arms out thus sending Trumbeak careening into Snowshrew.

The pangolin winced but ignore the pain while he grunted, "Dammit, these two are even tougher than I imagined they'd be," the woodpecker groaning, "You're telling me. Going after each individually may sound like a good idea, but it's easier said than done."

Torracat and Decidueye watched with concern and could not help but wonder if the two could even pull this off. However, their minds were put at ease when both heroes shot them encouraging grins. Though deep down, both of them had started to lose a bit of confidence.

Before they could continue, though, Snowshrew enquired, "Hey, before we get an amazing comeback that'll blow your minds, Xurkitree, what did you do back there?" the cable collection folding his arms and explaining, "It's quite simple, actually. Whenever I insert my tail's plugs into a surface of any kind, it charges up my energy and gives me a temporary strength boost. The only drawback is that I can't move forward when the plug is in the surface, but it works well for blocking my adversaries."

Hearing this, Trumbeak smirked and whispered, "This might be easier than we though. You notice the glaring weakness with that, right?" Snowshrew nodding and replying, "Yeah. We may have to combine our skills, though."

With that in mind, Snowshrew tucked himself into a ball while Trumbeak lifted him up. She then flung him forward as he encased himself in ice, both shouting, "ATLANTIC CANNONBALL!"

Xurkitree once again plugged his tail into the mat only for Snowshrew to soar past him. Seeing him distracted, Trumbeak flew toward him with her beak out and shouted, "SUPERSONIC ROCKET!" ramming it into his gut.

Celesteela gasped when she rose her arms again, blocking Snowshrew's attack. However, after a few seconds, the pangolin managed to use the arms as leverage to lift himself up. With that, the bamboo shoot took a strike to her face, her eyes and mouth wide with terror.

Feeling pain for the first time in her life, Celesteela would not let this go. As such, she immediately pointed her arms inward and took hold of Snowshrew at the exact moment his ice sphere left him. She then lifted him up and planted his belly into her drill, Torracat and Decidueye in full panic now.

The part in question spun around while Snowshrew groaned from the pain, Celesteela shouting, "SKULL POWER DRILL!" She then floated just a little bit into the air and flipped herself upside-down, ramming Snowshrew's back into the canvas as he coughed up blood.

She removed her drill and took many deep breaths, saying, "Wow, that was exhausting," before looking down at her now unconscious opponent. She blinked at this and thought, 'Did I just do actual work?'

Things only got worse when Xurkitree ignored the pain from Trumbeak's attack and wrapped his arms around her. He kept his tail in the canvas and stated, "By the way, that brief increase in strength isn't the only thing my tail can give me."

With that, electricity coursed through him as he shouted, "DISCHARGE!" the woodpecker's eyes and beak wide with terror while her scream of pain came out wiggly. And things were about to get much worse when Xurkitree flipped Trumbeak upside-down and rammed her skull into the canvas, shouting, "THOUSAND VOLT TOMBSTONE!"

Trumbeak coughed up a bit of blood and passed out, her whole body covered in burns now. And with Snowshrew too weak to get up, it was official. Both villains had won while Decidueye and Torracat stared in shock. However, those looks were soon replaced with more serious ones when the owl glared at Xurkitree and Celesteela.

"Wow, that felt amazing!" Xurkitree exclaimed, "And just think, we still got two more!"

He then turned to Celesteela and sighed, "I would get after you for claiming one of my victims for yourself, but seeing you of all people actually put in real effort makes it worth it," the bamboo shoot blushing lightly and uttering, "Well, it's not as if I had much of a choice."

Decidueye flew into the ring and carried both heroes gently out of it, resting them up against the side. He then scowled at Xurkitree and growled, "I hate to disappoint you, but neither I nor Torracat will be another victim to add to your pile!"

"Damn straight!" the cat hissed, "You'll find that we won't be so easy to take down!" the area going silent until Xurkitree enquired, "So, are you going to enter the ring and fight us?"

Both heroes looked at one-another, surprised that he was okay with it. They thought for sure he would want to take a break and heal up after taking in two powerful hits. However, it seemed like that might be the case when Celesteela groaned, "Can we take a break first? Seriously, using that drill technique took a lot out of me."

The cable collection folded his arms and grumbled, "Fine," as he stepped out of the ring, the bamboo shoot joining him. He then took a seat and sighed, "We'll only rest for an hour tops, got it?" Celesteela nodding and replying, "I guess that's okay."

Decidueye felt a touch disappointed but decided to accept this and took a seat himself. Torracat gritted her teeth and groaned, "I wanted to start right away. It's been a while since I last fought."

"I know," the owl sighed, "But on the upside, this gives us time to come up with a strategy. After all, I noticed each one presented a major weakness during that fight. I think we can make use of that."

While this went on, Guzzlord looked forward to defeating Cyndaquil while Kartana could not wait to get revenge on Noivern for turning to the side of good. The samurai swung his blades threateningly and said, "You'd better be prepared, you odd-looking bat, because I'm gonna make you suffer like you never have before!"

Guzzlord ignored this and said, "Hi, little mouse," Cyndaquil tensing up and groaning, "I don't like the way he keeps obsessing over me. What makes me such a standout from the rest of you?"

"Probably cause your fur is smoother than ours," Noivern suggested with a shrug as Cyndaquil sighed, "Oh well, if he even attempts to eat me, I'll just burn his tongue."

If Noivern had seen Cyndaquil in action, he would have felt a touch alarmed by these words. While it was true that her family was known for their fire powers, for some reason, she still had not mastered them. Would she be able to pull that off today?

"Yeah, you go, guys!" Lycanroc exclaimed with a grin, "I know you can do it! These two may be tough, but you're awesome!" Noivern nodding with a light smile. Just hearing her encouragement was all he needed.

However, the moment ended when Kartana swung his blades and shouted, "Alright, that's enough stalling! Let's start this already!" as he leapt off of Guzzlord's shoulder toward the bat. He then sped right past him and shouted, "ORIGAMI SLASH!" swiping his blade against his cheek.

Noivern stood there and uttered, "That's it?" when suddenly, a small cut formed while a light bit of blood trickled down. As if that was not enough, a considerable amount of pain started to kick in and thus Noivern clutched onto his cheek and winced.

"Are you alright?" Cyndaquil uttered as Noivern nodded, Kartana quipping, "Never underestimate the mighty paper cut."

Things only got worse when Guzzlord whipped out his tongue arms and latched onto the distracted Noivern's shoulders, lifting him up and swinging him downward. Soon enough, the back of his neck hit the canvas while he gasped in pain, Cyndaquil and Lycanroc both squeaking in panic. As such, the shrew leapt toward Guzzlord only for Kartana to speed by her and put a small cut on her cheek. And much like Noivern, this provided just enough of a distraction for Guzzlord to take hold of her arms.

"I didn't think this would be so easy," he said as he opened his mouth wide. Cyndaquil's eyes and mouth were wide with panic while she tried to struggle free. She could not believe it. Less than a minute into the match and she was already Guzzlord's dinner.

However, after a few seconds, the demon stopped himself and said, "Wait, I shouldn't eat you," the shrew nodding until he added, "I should tenderize you first!" before flinging her hard into the turnbuckle.

Needless to say, this would not be easy. Just from these four hits, it was clear that Kartana and Guzzlord were just as dangerous as they looked. Could Cyndaquil and Noivern possibly turn this around?


	88. Chapter 88

So far, things were looking bad. Bunnelby and Wobbuffet had lost their match with Nihilego while Xurkitree and Celesteela made quick work of Trumbeak and Snowshrew. As if that was not enough, Cyndaquil and Noivern were off to a bad start as both had been sliced and slammed by their opponents.

"I have to say, Guzzlord, we make for a good team, don't we?" Kartana stated before the demon nodded and replied, "Indeed. You gut them up, I tenderize them, and then when it's all over, I devour them. It's perfect."

Lycanroc trembled and whimpered, "Come on, guys! You can do it!" while Noivern rose back to his feet and turned to Cyndaquil, asking, "Are you okay?"

The shrew took a few deep breaths and grunted, "I fought Eevee once. I can handle this," before whimpering, "Though I have to admit, Guzzlord scares me even more now. I was almost in his belly."

Noivern patted her on the shoulder reassuringly and smiled, saying, "We can do this, alright? We'll just have to use teamwork like them. Admittedly, I've never actually fought in a team match before, but I'm sure I can be a good partner for you."

Cyndaquil nodded with a light smile and replied, "Thanks. That really puts my mind at ease," only for Guzzlord to take hold of Kartana with a regular hand while both shouted, "ORIGAMI SHURIKEN!"

He then flung the samurai toward the heroes while he spun like the weapon in question. And sure enough, neither were prepared for this as Kartana shifted around them, putting various cuts on their bodies. However, Cyndaquil would not stand for this as she squeaked, "ECHIDNA BONFIRE!"

Unfortunately, while she had hoped that flames would emerge from her back, all she got was smoke. And since Kartana was spinning at the speed of a pinwheel, he emitted enough wind to blow it away. Things only got worse when Guzzlord sent both of his tongue hands into the heroes' skulls.

Lycanroc watched in terror while even the news crew recording this was worried. After all, the heroes were fighting for the whole world, and that included them. If anything, they really wanted to see the two make a comeback.

Kartana ended his assault and returned to Guzzlord's side. He held his blades against his hips and laughed, "Wow, Guzzlord, I can tell I made the right choice when I picked you! You are a true warrior!" Guzzlord grinning with pride.

"What was that?" Noivern groaned while he lay on his chin, Cyndaquil whimpering, "Okay, I have to come clean. The truth is, I'm not really worthy of my family name."

The bat stared at her as she added, "I come from a family of fire types and yet I've never been able to light my back on fire like they were able to. Everyone else in my family is amazing, but all I can do is create smoke. It helps sometimes, but it's not what I want."

Noivern took a deep breath and replied, "Look, it's okay. Eevee's told me that you were a good challenge for her when you two fought in the preliminaries. I'm sure even without fire, we can still defeat these two. We just need to try harder and, well, actually start hitting them."

The shrew nodded with a serious look in her eyes and grunted, "You're right!" She then pushed herself up and breathed heavily, Kartana folding his blades and saying, "I admire your spirit. Unfortunately, you two have not been the challenge that I was hoping for."

"That'll change soon enough," Noivern retorted as he rose back up as well. He then spread out his wings and took to the sky, Cyndaquil leaping up and tucking herself into a ball. He then latched onto her with his feet and grunted, "You'd better be ready for this!"

Kartana nodded before Guzzlord flung him forward, both shouting, "ORIGAMI SHURIKEN!" However, this time, Cyndaquil and Noivern were ready and thus the bat hurled Cyndaquil forward and shouted, "FLYING SMOKE BOMB!"

Cyndaquil covered herself in smoke and flew right past Kartana. She managed to stir up just enough wind for him to be caught off-balance. With that, Noivern flew over him and exclaimed, "FALLING MOON!" sending his heels hard into the samurai and sending his back into the canvas.

Lycanroc's eyes sparkled when Cyndaquil flew hard into Guzzlord's face. The demon closed his eyes due to the smoke that had hit them. And things were about to get worse for him when the shrew retracted to a normal state and sent a barrage of rapid kicks into the same spot. And before he could grab her, she propelled herself off of him and landed firmly on her feet, smirking with pride.

Guzzlord rubbed his eyes while Noivern continued to stand on Kartana and shift his foot back to forth, growling, "Not so tough when you're on the receiving end, are you!?"

Lycanroc smiled wide and exclaimed, "I knew you guys could do it! Keep it up!" Kartana groaning, "My blades may be swift and strong, but alas, my body is as weak as actual paper."

Seeing this, Guzzlord gasped, "Don't worry! I'll help you out, buddy!" the sides of his belly inflating while Cyndaquil gasped, "Oh no you don't!" before leaping toward his face again. However, the demon was ready this time as he burped, "GASTRO ACID!" unleashing a green acid from his mouth. While Cyndaquil narrowly dodged in time, Noivern was not so lucky and thus the liquid struck him hard and knocked him on his back.

Steam rose up from his body as he cried out in pain, Cyndaquil shouting, "NOIVERN!" panic taking over when Kartana rose to his feet and straightened himself out. Needless to say, the shrew was in serious trouble now.

"I will admit, that was an impressive comeback, but now that I'm back up, I shall cut you into mincemeat," Kartana quipped. Guzzlord started to drool lightly and sighed, "Oh yeah, that would be nice."

Cyndaquil bit her lower lip and thought, 'I need to be strong. I'm sure Noivern will recover from this, but until then, I need to deal with both of them.'

She would certainly need to act quickly when Kartana raced toward her and shouted, "ORIGAMI SLASH!" once again putting a light cut on her. However, she ignored the pain only for Guzzlord to swing his left tongue arm into her face. This left her wide open for another strike from Kartana.

Once he set up for another one, Cyndaquil took many deep breaths and knelt down, thinking, 'Come on, body! Give me some fire, please! I really need it!'

Kartana was mere seconds away from striking her while Guzzlord held her in place with one of his tongue hands. But just as she was about to take in even more damage, she shouted, "ECHIDNA BONFIRE!"

When Kartana closed in, he wound up taking extreme pain as he cried out in agony. Even Guzzlord could no longer hold on and thus released his hold on Cyndaquil, the shrew blinking and uttering, "Wait, what just happened?"

Lycanroc's eyes sparkled as she pointed and shouted, "Cyndaquil, look at your back!" the shrew turning her head around just enough to see it. For the first time in her life, she had managed to conjure up flames. Though for some strange reason, they were spiked in a way that resembled an echidna's quills.

"I finally did it," she uttered with her jaw dropped, "I actually did it. This is the happiest moment of my life."

Seeing Kartana and Guzzlord still looking weak, she realized she had to take advantage of this. As such, she rolled up into a ball and leapt toward the demon, squealing, "FLAME WHEEL!" ramming herself hard into his real face.

He cried out in agonizing pain while Cyndaquil propelled off of him like a pinball and flew into Kartana. As such, he careened backwards into the turnbuckle and slid down the side. Lycanroc clapped and cheered, whistling in admiration. It looked like the shrew could win this by herself.

However, when she was about to do more, Guzzlord ignored the pain and growled, "In order to be a true fan of food, I need to be able to handle the heat!" before lashing out his tongue arms once more and latching onto her. This time, he ignored the pain from her flames and said, "You know what, little mouse? I've changed my mind. I don't want to eat you anymore. No, when I win and we take over the world, I'll hire you as my personal bonfire. Those pizzas are delicious, but imagine if they were cooked."

With that in mind, he proceeded to hurl her toward the turnbuckle. But just as she was about to make contact, Noivern finally recovered and caught her with his palms. Luckily, she had turned off her flames by this point, so he did not get singed as he asked, "You alright?"

Cyndaquil took a deep breath before looking up at the bat. She laughed nervously and replied, "I'm actually more surprised by how okay you are. You just got hit by stomach acid and yet your skin is still completely intact."

Guzzlord nodded and sighed, "Oh yeah, my acids lose a lot of their acidity when they leave my body. They only have enough to burn the opponent a little bit," Kartana rising to his feet and grunting, "That is a little inconvenient. I was hoping that would have dealt more damage to him."

Noivern narrowed his eyelids and retorted, "Well, it didn't! Come on, Cyndaquil! You did a great job keeping them at bay! Now it's time to take them down as a team!"

The shrew nodded and said, "I remember your match with Eevee pretty well. Set up for your Bat Wing Sickle. I got a plan," the bat nodding and taking to the sky. He noticed Kartana charge at him and was ready this time. Thus he swerved to the right and flew toward him and Guzzlord with his wings spread out.

Cyndaquil leapt toward him and spun into his feet, lighting her back on fire to increase her speed. And with that, Noivern managed to ram his left wing into Kartana, the two shouting, "TURBO WING SICKLE!"

And sure enough, Guzzlord was unable to react in time to avoid taking the attack to his neck as well. As such, Noivern stopped just long enough for Kartana to careen away from the ring and into the wall of the pit. To make things better, Guzzlord started to lose his balance as he uttered, "Oh no. I don't wish to fall off."

With that in mind, he used his normal hands to latch onto Noivern's wing. The bat's eyes widened while Cyndaquil took hold of his feet and used them as leverage to vault over him. She then planted a hard kick into Guzzlord's skull. This was just enough for him to let go as Noivern backed away from him and took a deep breath, sighing, "Thanks."

Lycanroc beamed bright and thought, 'Wow, they make for a really good team. This might turn out for the best after all. And here I thought me working with Noivern would be the better option.'

However, it seemed as if this was still far from over. Guzzlord shook the pain off and growled, "Alright, I'm not even in the mood for dinner! I'll just beat both of you up myself if I have to!" Kartana propelling himself back onto his shoulder and replying, "Don't forget, I'm still in this fight," though he was starting to look a tad weak now.

Seeing this, Noivern smirked and thought, 'I knew it. As the smallest member of the group, it only makes sense that he wouldn't be able to handle much pain. I'm just surprised he's still standing at this point.'

Kartana saw his expression and growled, "Don't look so happy, you bastard! You make me so angry!" the heroes all staring at him while he continued, "First you betray the side of evil and become friends with those wretched humans, and then you have the audacity to repeatedly wrinkle my beautiful, artistic complexion! Oh, you'll pay for this! You'll pay dearly! Come on, Guzzlord, let's give them something for the ages!"

The demon nodded with a big grin and took hold of the samurai's blades. He then placed him into his mouth as the area went silent. Cyndaquil blinked and uttered, "Should we be-?"

However, she was cut off when Guzzlord spat Kartana out of his mouth, both shouting, "NINJA SHOOTING STAR!" green acid surrounding the samurai while he whizzed right over Noivern's skull. Soon enough, a green burning cut formed on that exact spot while the bat cried out in agonizing pain.

Cyndaquil squeaked, "Noivern!" only for Kartana to bounce off of the ropes and into her cheek. As such, she was also hit with an acidic cut.

Lycanroc clasped her paws over her mouth while Guzzlord lifted them both up with his tongue hands. He then slammed their skulls hard into the canvas, exclaiming, "TONGUE DRIVER!"

And with that, both heroes were out cold, thus Kartana folded his blades and sighed, "Well, I'll admit, that did end up providing me with the challenge I wanted. Therefor, I am satisfied with this victory."

Guzzlord nodded and asked, "So, what should we do with them?" Kartana replying, "Well, you said you wanted the shrew as your servant. I will allow that, but I see no use for-"

"WAIT!" Lycanroc snapped, "Don't forget, I'm still standing! I'm not just gonna sit back and let you kill my friend!" as Kartana nodded and stated, "While you are also a traitor, I respect that. Besides, I think I would much rather kill both of you at the same time."

With that in mind, Guzzlord lifted up both Cyndaquil and Noivern and tossed them onto the ledge so they would be out of the way. As such, Lycanroc leapt into the air and landed in the ring, growling, "I may be fighting alone, but I know I can defeat you!"

Meanwhile, at the park, Passimian and Cosmoem were ready to square off as the lemur said, "Even though you serve the side of evil, I shall allow you to deliver the first strike," Eevee retorting, "WHAT!?" Popplio tapping his chin. On one hand, there was a chance that Passimian was trying to catch her off guard, but he sounded a touch too sincere for that to be the case.

Cosmog had a feeling this might not be good as he uttered, "Sis, don't take his offer," only for the orb to quip, "Big mistake," and race toward Passimian. And sure enough, the lemur stood there and allowed himself to take in a punch to the face.

His eyes widened as he clutched onto that very spot, noticing his nostrils already bleeding while his eyes twitched. He then looked up and uttered, "Uh-oh," before receiving a kick to his gut.

However, he chose to ignore it and grasped onto Cosmoem's ankle. He then twisted it and caused her to fall on her side while grunting, "Okay, I see now! While your body may be thin, your attacks are very strong!"

"Very perceptive, but you missed one important detail," Cosmoem retorted with a wicked smile, sending her free foot into his shin. With that, the lemur leapt away from her but had a bit of trouble due to the extreme pain from that one kick.

It was just as he stated. Due to Cosmoem's mechanical body, her physical attacks were stronger than those of most heroes. As such, something as simple as a punch was capable of dealing as much damage as a piledriver. Needless to say, Passimian was in trouble.

"I think I figured out what you were trying to do earlier," the orb stated, "You allowed me to hit you so you could gauge my strength. You didn't think I'd be all that strong. Pretty stupid and foolish for someone with such a sophisticated voice."

Eevee turned to Popplio and groaned, "I hate to say it, but she kind of has a point. Even if she was as weak as she looks, letting a villain hit you is still pretty stupid."

"Agreed," Popplio replied with his flippers folded, "Normally, I would see the good in any strategy that doesn't involve barrelling into danger, but that was foolish," as Passimian retorted, "Excuse me, but I can hear you!"

He then shook his head and sighed, "Even so, I'm not going to pretend that you guys are wrong. Now that I know what I'm dealing with, I won't lose!"

With that in mind, he raced toward Cosmoem and sent an onslaught of punches into her gut. He then leapt away from her and raced back forward with his skull pointed at the same spot, shouting, "COCONUT CRANIUM!"

But once the orb took in the blow, she ignored all of the pain and latched onto the back of Passimian's neck. His eyes widened when she flipped him over, saying, "You made another rookie mistake. You didn't take the time to ask me that important detail you missed when gauging my strength."

She then leapt into the air and kept a firm grip on his ankles, wrapping her legs around his neck and explaining, "See, the reason my body is so strong is because it's not even real. It's a mechanical body forged from the strongest metal in the galaxy. In other words, none of your hits dealt any damage to me!"

Eevee and Popplio gasped in horror, Cosmog smiling and saying, "Don't feel too bad. Sometimes, I forget about that."

With that, Passimian tried his hardest to escape only for Cosmoem to descend and ram his skull into the canvas. To make matters worse, his coconut cracked in half upon making contact while his head split open and blood slowly poured out. As such, his eyes rolled to the back of his head before the orb released her hold and allowed him to collapse.

Eevee and Popplio stared silently while even the news crew could not believe what they had just seen. In no time flat, Passimian had already been defeated.

"Well, that was easy," Cosmoem said with a light smile, "I hope you two are as challenging as your reputation suggests," Eevee narrowing her eyelids while Cosmog added, "Yes, you two have the most impressive track record in Tokyo. I look forward to seeing how you earned it."

Eevee leapt into the ring and carried Passimian out before retorting, "You're gonna regret challenging us! We've faced many powerful foes and still came out on top! You're nothing more than another threat to the world!"

Though a part of her was more scared than she let on. After all, if Cosmoem's metallic body was as strong as she said it was, how were she and Popplio supposed to destroy it? Not only that, but they were yet to see what Cosmog was capable of. Needless to say, this would not be easy.


	89. Chapter 89

On the top of Diamond Head, Necrozma and Magearna were ready for their match with Chespin and Litwick. All the while, the young couple were not only prepared but excited to face evil together while Caterpie sat on the sidelines to cheer them on. Though they would certainly need to make up for the seven heroes who went down during this time.

"You know, there's a reason I specifically picked you two to be our first opponents," Necrozma stated, "It's not so much the fact that you two are traitors who deserve to be punished. It's just that, honestly, I can't live with the fact that two as pathetic as you were even on the side of evil to begin with. I heard about your matches and how easy it was for the heroes of Tokyo to defeat you."

"Hey, I'll have you know Popplio is really tough!" Chespin retorted as Litwick added, "Besides, the one who defeated me was Chespin, and he's the strongest, most handsome guy I know!" the chipmunk kissing her on the cheek.

Magearna blinked and uttered, "I didn't know they were in a relationship. That's kind of sweet," only for Necrozma to glare at her, thus she whimpered, "Sorry."

The crystal man turned back to the heroes and sighed, "Now that I think about it, you two do seem to have been made for one-another. You're both former villains, one of you defeated the other and you're both losers who, honestly, we're all glad to have lost."

Chespin narrowed his eyelids and turned to Litwick, growling, "Come on, let's prove him wrong!" the candle nodding with a bright smile. With the chipmunk by her side, she could not lose.

Magearna felt even worse about having to fight them now but knew she had no choice. Necrozma had assured her that this would be the only time she would have to fight today, so she had to tough it out.

But before she and the crystal man could do a thing, Chespin and Litwick were already poised for attack as the chipmunk leapt onto the candle's back. She then used her flame to melt her wax so she could stretched it forward with her skull pointed straight at Necrozma's chest.

"WAX RUYI BANG!" both heroes shouted when the crystal man took in the hit, Litwick shifting her head back and forth and adding, "CANDLE ASHTRAY!"

Chespin added to this by leaping off and planting his feet into Necrozma's skull. Seeing this, Magearna panicked and swiped her arm toward the chipmunk like a sword. However, he easily saw this and propelled himself off of Necrozma, sending a roundhouse into the back of her head.

After a few seconds, Caterpie's eyes widened before he spat, "LITWICK, GET AWAY FROM NECROZMA!" but it was too late when the crystal man pierced his claws into the sides of her head and grunted, "I don't know if you noticed, but my body is made of pure crystal. As such, fire barely has an effect on me."

With that in mind, he tilted Litwick downward and planted her skull into the canvas. As such, she instinctively retracted the rest of her body to that same spot. But before Chespin could retaliate, Magearna turned toward him and sent a jab into his pelvis while she uttered, "Please don't take this personally. I'm just doing my job."

Necrozma continued to hold onto Litwick while he flipped her right-side up. He then leapt into the air and jabbed his sharp toes into her lower body before flipped vertically multiple times, a purple glow covering his entire body. Caterpie gasped as he seemed to take on the form of a spiky wheel, descending toward the mat and shouting, "CRYSTAL WHEEL DROP!" planting the back of Litwick's head into the canvas.

Chespin stared in horror but was once again unable to fight back when Magearna latched onto his shoulders. She then sighed, "I'm sorry to take advantage of you like this," before lifting him up and spinning the gear around her head, shouting, "SHIFT GEAR!"

She then held Chespin's back right up against it. He cried out in pain while teeth scraped against that very spot. This was far from the worst pain he had ever felt, but it was still effective. And when Necrozma saw Magearna doing this, he implied a smirk and nodded in approval.

'Good,' he thought, 'Normally I'd have to remind you to use your strongest moves against threatening opponents. I'm glad to see you understand just how much we need this victory.'

Seeing her boyfriend in danger, Litwick ignored the pain to her head and wriggled free from Necrozma's grip. She did not even care about the cuts this left on her as she expanded the size of her flames and shouted in a low, demonic tone, "YOU LET GO OF HIM RIGHT NOW, YOU WITCH!"

She then formed large hands on the tips of her hands and shouted, "WAX HANDS!" sending a palm punch into Necrozma with one hand to keep him away. She then balled the other up into a fist and rammed into Magearna's chest before she could notice. And luckily, this was all it took to get her to release her hold on Chespin.

"Thanks, sweetie," he said with a grin before delivering another kick to the cyborg's face. He then rose his arms and shouted, "WOOD HAMMER!" sending both crashing down into the same spot and knocking her on her back.

"Thank god," Caterpie sighed while he wiped sweat off of his forehead, "I should have known that wouldn't be enough to defeat them. At the very least, I wanna see one of them go down just in case I have to enter the ring at some point. I may be strong now, but even I can't handle two against one."

Necrozma fumed and raced toward Litwick with his fists clenched. But when he aimed a punch straight for the candle, she formed a thick square in front of her face and squeaked, "WAX SHIELD!"

However, she started to panic when she noticed cracks form on her wax, Necrozma implying a smirk and quipping, "Do you honestly think candle wax will stop me!?" only for Chespin to leap toward him with his feet cupped together and spin like a drill into his face, shouting, "CHESTNUT CRACKER SUITE!"

This dealt just enough pain for the crystal man to back up. Thus Chespin latched his bristles onto him and nodded at Litwick. The candle returned the gesture and whipped out her arms, wrapping them around both Chespin and Necrozma before lifting them into the air.

"SPIKY CANDLE SUPLEX!" both heroes shouted while Necrozma was slammed hard into Magearna. The cyborg winced before whimpering, "Are you okay?" the crystal man groaning, "I've been better."

Caterpie smiled wide and clapped, shouting, "Way to go, guys!" while both villains rose to their feet. Necrozma narrowed his eyes and said quietly, "I can see why that rodent was able to defeat Tapu Koko. His track record didn't make him sound that impressive, but he has some good moves. As for Litwick, I can't believe she has so few wins. That wax body and her fire give her an assortment of different techniques."

"But we can still beat them, right?" Magearna enquired as he nodded and replied, "Of course. We can work around their tactics. Both of us have incredibly strong bodies, so a few fancy tricks are nothing for us."

They would need to act fast, though, when Litwick stretched out her arms and latched them onto the turnbuckles next to them. Chespin pressed his feet up against her gut and asked, "You alright?" the candle nodding and replying, "You were gentle enough."

The two then shouted, "CANDLE SLINGSHOT!" as Litwick shot Chespin forward. The chipmunk extended his bristles and pointed them toward both villains, adding, "SPIKE MISSILE!"

Necrozma frowned and folded his arms in front of his face. Magearna nodded and followed suit when Chespin closed in and planted his bristles into them. But while Necrozma's body was hard enough to only receive a light scratch, Magearna's arms were really thin and nowhere near as powerful. As such, Chespin's bristles pierced them as a mixture of blood and oil dripped out of them.

Chespin propelled himself away and smirked, saying, "Well, at least I hurt one of you," his eyes widening when he noticed Magearna's eyes become a darker shade of red. Necrozma turned to her and asked, "Are you alright?"

The cyborg pointed her arms forward and said in a monotone voice, "Target acquired. Prime objective, eliminate."

Necrozma blinked and looked at her arm, thinking, 'I wonder-' before the cyborg shouted, "FLEUR CANNON!" the tips of her arms coming open as large pink beams fired toward the heroes.

"HOLY SHIT!" Chespin spat while Litwick leapt in the way and formed her shield again, grunting, "Please work this time!"

But while it seemed to have an effect this time, the heat from the lasers caused it to start melting. As such, the chipmunk took hold of Litwick and hurled her out of the way just in time to take both beams himself, his eyes and mouth wide open with agony.

Caterpie and Litwick both stared in horror along with the news crew. Where had all this power come from and why had Magearna not used it until now?

After a few seconds, the beams subsided as Chespin coughed up a large puff of smoke. His pupils seemed to have vanished when he fell on his back covered head to toe in burns. Litwick and Caterpie were even more horrified. There was no doubt about it. The chipmunk had been defeated.

Necrozma turned to Magearna and nodded with an implied smirk, saying, "Good job, Magearna," patting her on the shoulder. At that moment, her eyes returned to their usual bright shade as she blinked and uttered, "Did I do that?"

Necrozma's look of pride turned to one of doubt in response to this. Was she really unaware of what she had just done? Now he was even more curious. Just what drew out that burst in fighting spirit?

Whatever the case, it seemed as if Magearna might need it back soon when Litwick's eyes turned purple. Her flame grew much bigger and heavy breathing escaped from her mouth. She then grew in size and took on the form of a candelabra, shouting, "DEMON CANDELABRA!"

Necrozma stared in stunned silence as Caterpie was uncertain whether to be happy or alarmed. After all, the first time Litwick used this form, it was because Chespin had brought her to a point where she could no longer control her temper. What if that was the case this time?

Litwick frowned at Magearna and growled, "You'll pay for burning Chespin. He taught me how to love," the cyborg whimpering, "Oh no. I'm so sorry."

"Don't apologize," Necrozma retorted, "You simply did what you had to. Take a breather. I can take this one myself," the cyborg nodding and backing up. She was relieved to hear that she might not have to fight now that Chespin had been dealt with.

Litwick refused to accept this, though, and shouted, "I WON'T LET YOU STAND IN MY WAY!" swinging her right arm toward Necrozma as he blocked the incoming strike with his right forearm. He then smirked and quipped, "Hey, see these blade-like crystals coming out of my wrists? Let's just say there's a reason they look like that."

Litwick's eyes widened when he shouted, "CRYSTAL SWORD!" swinging his wrist crystal downward and chopping the end of Litwick's arm in half. Her eyes widened since she had taken in quite a bit of pain from this.

However, she ignored this and sent a hard punch with her other arm into Necrozma's gut. But just like when she hit him with her skull earlier, he ignored the pain and placed a firm grip on the end of her arm, using all his might to hurl her into the air. The candle's eyes were wide with shock. She could not believe he was strong enough to throw her while she was that big.

"Time to end this," the crystal man grunted as he leapt up toward her, a bright light surrounding his body and making him resemble a beam. He then rammed his forehead hard into Litwick's gut and shouted, "PRISMATIC LASER!"

Litwick gasped in pain and reverted back to her normal size. Caterpie stared in horror and slowly shook his head, the candle falling hard on her belly. And sure enough, both she and Chespin were unconscious.

"Well, I'll admit, those two were more annoying than I expected," Necrozma sighed, "But even so, they were no match for us. Isn't that right?" Magearna nodding and replying, "Of course," still wondering how she had covered Chespin in all those burns. After all, she had done the same to Charmeleon without realizing it.

Caterpie tensed up when Necrozma signalled Magearna to exit the ring, saying, "Anyway, I'll take care of the chairman's son. You just take it easy, alright?" the cyborg bowing her head and repying, "Thank you so much, Necrozma. I have no doubt you'll win."

Caterpie tensed up and slowly approached the ring. He used his string to pull Chespin and Litwick safely out of it before sighing and thinking, 'Well, look on the bright side. He did take in quite a bit of damage during that match. That'll make him easier, right?'

But deep down, he had a feeling this was not good enough. It was just as Necrozma said. Both he and Magearna had really strong bodies. If anything, it was possible that Chespin and Litwick's efforts had done very little to him.

Even so, the caterpillar took a deep breath and thought, 'No, I need to do this,' pulling out his golden headband and tying it to his head, 'If I can at least take one of these two down, it'll make things much easier. I can't let Chespin and Litwick's efforts be in vain.'

During all of this, Buzzwole and Pheromosa were about to begin their match with Umbreon and Scorchicken in the forest. But before they could begin, the mosquito turned to the camera and said, "You'd better pay close attention, world, because you're looking at the face of your new leader!"

He then performed a few poses while the cockroach remarked, "You mean one of the new leaders. Don't forget, I want a few slaves of my own," Buzzwole sighing, "Of course, darling. I wouldn't rob you of that."

Umbreon had her T-shirt and bracelets on as Scorchicken grinned and said, "The same outfit you wore when you fought me. Nice," the black fox nodding with a light smile.

The duo then turned toward Buzzwole before he said, "You know, I've been thinking, and I have to admit that you two would make for some decent servants. If you give up right now, I won't drink your blood," Crabrawler retorting, "As if that'll happen! You have no idea what you're in for!"

Umbreon smiled lightly before asking, "So, you wanna start this off?" the chicken replying, "Nah. I think you should lead the first attack. It's only fair seeing as I beat you in combat, right?"

The black fox smirked and thus the two raced toward their opponents. Buzzwole nodded and flew toward them with his arms out while Pheromosa leapt toward Umbreon with her foot pointed outward. But just as it looked like the chicken and black fox would take in damage, they both leapt into the air. Scorchicken engulfed her feet in flames while Umbreon covered her legs with a dark aura.

"BLAZE KICK ANVIL!" Scorchicken shouted as she rammed her feet hard into Buzzwole's back. And sure enough, Pheromosa took Umbreon's feet to her gut, thus both fell hard against the canvas. Things only got better when the chicken proceeded to send rapid kicks into the mosquito while shouting, "MACHINE FLAMETHROWER!"

Umbreon, meanwhile, flipped Pheromosa over and wrapped her arms around her neck, pulling up on it with her arms covered in darkness. And all the while, Crabrawler and Drampa cheered wildly, the dragon especially happy.

"Hot diggity damn, those two are incredible!" Drampa exclaimed with a big smile, "I have to admit, seeing Umbreon deal so much pain to Pheromosa is quite thrilling, if you catch my drift," Crabrawler groaning, "Why did you have to ruin the moment?"

Unfortunately, Buzzwole was able to ignore the pain to his back as he grunted, "Don't think for a minute that you can defeat me!" before focusing hard and shouting, "BULK UP!" his back muscles expanding slightly.

This was just enough for Scorchicken's kicks to stop hurting him while she thought, 'Oh no. So he has muscle expansion like the Mach family.' Her train of thought was cut off when the mosquito lifted his arms up and took hold of her ankles. He then rose up and hurled her into Umbreon, the black fox groaning in pain as she and the chicken flew sideways into the turnbuckle.

Pheromosa rose to her feet and smiled at Buzzwole, sighing, "Thank you so much, darling dearest," while she stroked his chin and kissed his cheek. She then leapt toward both heroes and said, "Just because I'm thin doesn't mean I'm weak."

Once she was close enough, she sent an onslaught of kicks into the heroes and shouted, "BUTTERFLY BARRAGE!" Buzzwole shouting, "Yeah! Now those are real kicks!"

However, Umbreon tried her best to ignore the pain and covered her entire body with her black aura. As such, the kicks dealt less damage while she took hold of Pheromosa's ankles and slammed her back into the canvas. The cockroach gasped and rolled away, springing upright and breathing heavily.

"My word, they really are powerful," she uttered as Buzzwole nodded and added, "I have to admit, I can already see how you two are considered the best this planet has to offer. You're a lot better than that pitiful bird and that stupid mouse thing. But that'll just make our inevitable victory even more satisfying."

"And what makes you think you'll actually win?" Umbreon retorted before the mosquito flexed and boastfully asked, "Have you seen my muscles? Even with a lack of blood inside of them, they're still impressive."

Drampa turned to Crabrawler and sighed, "Big muscles are overrated," the crab replying, "For once I agree with you. Seriously, this guy's really getting on my nerves."

Even so, Umbreon and Scorchicken needed to be careful when both bugs readied themselves again. However, this time Buzzwole lifted up Pheromosa like a javelin and asked, "Do you think you can handle this?" the cockroach cooing, "For you, I can handle anything."

The mosquito nodded and hurled her, shouting, "INSECT JAVELIN!" Pheromosa holding her hands against her sides and ramming her skull into Umbreon's forehead. Before Scorchicken could attempt to help her friend, Buzzwole flew toward her and rammed his elbow hard into her back, knocking her on her chin.

Things had started off strong for the heroes, but it was clear that Buzzwole and Pheromosa could not be taken lightly. Could Umbreon and Scorchicken finally earn a victory for the side of good? Only time would tell.


	90. Chapter 90

So far, Umbreon and Scorchicken's match with Buzzwole and Pheromosa had gone back and forth with both teams pulling off some impressive moves. Unfortunately, it seemed that the heroes were currently at a disadvantage as they had both been knocked to the ground. And to make matters worse, Buzzwole was currently spread over Scorchicken with his proboscis pointed at the back of her neck.

"LEECH LIFE!" he shouted before he lowered his head toward her. Crabrawler gasped and trembled, really hoping he would not drink her blood while Drampa narrowed his eyelids and grunted, "I wish I could just jump into the ring and take her place."

But when he was a second away from doing so, Scorchicken gritted her teeth and bent her legs back. She then sent her feet upward into his gut as he winced in pain. The chicken then latched her ankles to his sides and pushed herself up, flipping backward and slamming his back into the canvas.

Crabrawler stared in stunned silence for a few seconds before cheering heavily, Scorchicken leaping into the air and lighting her feet on fire, shouting, "BLAZE KICK ANVIL!" planting them into his gut.

Pheromosa gasped, "Honey!" and tried to help only for Umbreon to leap upward and latch her legs onto her shoulders. She then leaned forward and took hold of her ankles, propelling both herself and the cockroach high into the air and flipping one hundred and eighty degrees. She then pulled hard on the legs until Pheromosa's face was aimed at the canvas and her back was bent slightly.

"LUNAR CRASH!" the black fox shouted when she slammed Pheromosa hard into the surface. Crabrawler and Drampa clapped with big smiles on their faces while Scorchicken and Umbreon both distanced themselves from their opponents, the cockroach collapsing after being released.

"That was awesome," Scorchicken said with a smirk, Umbreon nodding and replying, "You weren't so bad yourself," the two pounding their fists together.

"Man, you modern folk have weird ways of showing respect," Buzzwole growled as he slowly pushed himself up and lifted Pheromosa by her shoulders. He then shook her slightly and asked, "You okay, honey?" before she opened her eyes and smiled softly at him.

With both villains back up, Umbreon and Scorchicken held defensive stances. But before they could continue, Buzzwole added, "Not only that, but you have some of the weirdest names for your signature moves. Seriously, you aimed a flaming kick after something people forged swords on and then you name another one after throwing flames. Is that even a thing?"

"Technically speaking, it actually is," Scorchicken remarked, "Have you never heard of fire performances? Those were invented in ancient times," the mosquito uttering, "Oh yeah."

After a few seconds, both spat, "WHY ARE WE TALKING ABOUT THIS!?" before the mosquito clenched his fists and growled, "Don't think that a few good hits will stop us! As you can see, I'm strong enough to handle anything, and Pheromosa here is tougher than she looks. Right, dear?"

Pheromosa nodded with a smirk and readied herself, saying, "Just try and hit us again. I dare you."

Scorchicken nodded before she and Umbreon raced toward them with their fire and auras activated. But just as they were ready to strike their opponents, Pheromosa flipped both halves of her hair in front of her while Buzzwole placed a firm grip on her midsection. He then held her up while both shouted, "LOVER'S SHIELD!"

When Umbreon and Scorchicken sent punches forward, they were shocked to find that their hits dealt no damage. And when they saw a bright sheen coming from the hair, they realized that Pheromosa had somehow given it the hardness of an actual cockroach shell. As if that was not enough, a bright light shone from it and hit them hard, blinding them just long enough for Pheromosa to revert to normal as she allowed Buzzwole to lift her up by the ankles and swing her sideways into the heroes' necks.

"LOVER'S BO STAFF!" the two shouted while Scorchicken and Umbreon gasped in pain and tried to stay upright. But that proved difficult when the cockroach latched one arm around Umbreon's neck and a leg around Scorchicken's, flipping backward and planting the backs of their heads into the canvas.

"She's incredible," Drampa uttered as Crabrawler gave him a look of disgust. But once he was about to retort, the dragon added, "She's so skinny yet she can slam both of them with only one limb at a time? I didn't think that was possible."

Now the crab was unsure whether or not he could find a remark for that. As painful as it was to admit, Drampa had a point. Pheromosa was much stronger than she looked.

Things were about to get much worse, though, when Buzzwole leapt into the air and spread out his legs. And sure enough, he sent them hard into Scorchicken and Umbreon's necks, both heroes coughing up blood.

Seeing this, Buzzwole wasted no time inhaling the liquid with his proboscis. He noticed one of his arm sacks fill a little bit and said, "Not quite enough, but not bad either."

Crabrawler tensed up and uttered, "Oh god, he can drink their blood without piercing them," Drampa enquiring, "How the hell was he able to do that so easily?"

The problems continued to pile on when the mosquito lifted his arms and planted his fists into Scorchicken and Umbreon's faces. And all the while, Pheromosa leapt up from behind him and sent her feet rapidly into the heroes' bellies, shouting, "BUTTERFLY BARRAGE!"

But just as Buzzwole readied another punch with each hand, Umbreon encased her head in her dark aura while Scorchicken lit her beak on fire. She then shouted, "FIRE PECK!" and leaned her head forward, thus it made contact with the incoming fist. Thanks to Umbreon's aura, her face took in little pain while she opened her mouth and bit into his fingers while the fire from Scorchicken wound up burning his other fist.

Buzzwole cried out in pain and reeled his arms back, shaking his hands while Pheromosa ended her assault, landed behind the group and whimpered, "You okay, darling?"

This was all the heroes needed as they lifted up their legs and sent them hard into Pheromosa's shins. This caused her to wince and kneel while they used all their might to force Buzzwole off of them. As a result, he flew into the cockroach and knocked her down with him.

With both villains down, Scorchicken grinned at Umbreon and suggested, "How's about we show them some of our teamwork, eh?" the black fox nodding and replying, "But of course."

Buzzwole rose to his feet slowly and stared down at Pheromosa, gasping, "Are you alright!? Wait, you had me on top of you. Of course you are," when suddenly, Umbreon leapt at him from behind and latched her legs onto his neck, her dark aura surrounding them.

"It's a shame in this day and age how dirty that sounds," she sighed as she leaned backward and took hold of his ankles. She then leapt high into the air and flipped one hundred and eighty degrees, Scorchicken jumping up to their level with her hands on fire and wrapping her arms around the mosquito's waist.

Buzzwole gasped when soon enough, his skull was rammed hard into the canvas as both heroes shouted, "FULL MOON COMET!" releasing their hold and allowing him to collapse.

Crabrawler clapped and shouted, "Yeah! Way to go!" Drampa sighing, "I envy you, Crabrawler. You get to fight alongside Umbreon all the time."

Pheromosa started to rise when she noticed Buzzwole's condition and gasped. But before she could react, Umbreon leapt backward toward the turnbuckle and latched onto the top with her paws. She then spun around while Scorchicken joined her and grabbed onto her ankles, her feet on fire. And soon enough, Umbreon let go and both spun toward the cockroach, a flaming shuriken forming around them.

"SWIRLING PYRO BLADE!" the two exclaimed, Pheromosa unable to dodge in time to avoid the incoming strike to her gut. Thus for the first time in the match, she coughed up green blood while a large burn formed in that very spot and she flew backward into the turnbuckle.

Crabrawler and Drampa cheered even louder since it looked as if Umbreon and Scorchicken might have actually won. Both smiled wide and breathed heavily, giving one-another a high five. Needless to say, despite having never fought together until now, both made for a very good team.

However, they could not let their guard down. Buzzwole and Pheromosa were very strong as well. As such, neither could be too careful.

And sure enough, both villains rose to their feet, the mosquito breathing heavily as he boastfully said, "You can hit me with as many impressive moves as you want, but I'll never go down because I'm just that amazing," flexing his muscles and posing.

Scorchicken and Umbreon gasped at the sight of this. He may have looked beat up before, but now it was as if all the damage dealt to him up to this point meant nothing. Pheromosa, on the other hand, looked shaken up. After all, her skinny body was unable to handle the same kind of pain her boyfriend's could.

As such, Buzzwole turned to her and asked, "Hey, are you alright?" before she nodded and replied, "With you by my side, I'll take as much pain and torment as possible. After all, there's a reason we're known as the ultra beasts."

"That's right," the mosquito replied as the cockroach did her best to ignore the pain that had been dealt to her.

"You know, this doesn't surprise me, but I really hoped that would be enough," Scorchicken groaned as Umbreon nodded and sighed, "Even so, it tells me that these ultra beasts aren't as bad as we first thought. If we keep this up, we can show them just how powerful our generation is."

With that in mind, both raced toward the villains. However, Buzzwole refused to take in anymore damage from them, thus he nodded at Pheromosa. With that in mind, she leapt up and allowed him to latch onto her ankles. He held her sideways while she shifted her hair upward, once again hardening it.

"What the hell?" Crabrawler uttered as Buzzwole and Pheromosa shouted, "LOVER'S SPEAR!" the mosquito swinging the cockroach sideways, her hair striking Scorchicken and Umbreon's chests and cutting them open.

The crab stared in horror while Drampa stroked his chin and enquired, "Why didn't they use that ability before?" the chicken and black fox doing their best to hold their ground. There was no way they would allow themselves to lose.

"Why didn't I see that coming?" Umbreon growled, "If she can use her hair as a shield, of course she can use it as a spearhead."

It seemed as if she would not have much more time to think about this when Pheromosa faced her back to Buzzwole and latched her arms to his shoulders. He then bent forward and lifted her up while she shifted her hair sideways, making it look more like a pair of long horns. As such, Scorchicken and Umbreon both prepared to evade this.

However, it looked like this would not be so easy when the mosquito spread out his wings and flew toward them, he and Pheromosa shouting, "LOVER'S FLYING PITCHFORK!" Umbreon and Scorchicken leaping to the side. Unfortunately, they were not fast enough and thus each one took a slash to her waist.

"Your team attacks may be tough, but ours are even tougher," Buzzwole stated as Pheromosa added, "Yes. They're powered by love," Drampa and Crabrawler groaning in response to that.

There was no doubt that this match was over when Buzzwole flew toward Scorchicken and latched into her arms, pulling them back and taking to the sky. Pheromosa leapt at Umbreon and landed a drop kick on her gut, knocking her on her back. She when wrapped her legs around her and flipped backward, performing a handstand before propelling herself high into the air.

Buzzwole flipped one hundred and eighty degrees so he could aim Scorchicken's skull toward Umbreon's belly. Crabrawler stared in horror and shouted, "COME ON, FIGHT IT!" but it was too late when the chicken hit her partner, both coughing up blood as Buzzwole and Pheromosa shouted, "LOVER'S FLYING SLAM!"

Drampa's eyes were wide with horror when he gazed upon both heroes lying unconscious. To make matters worse, after consuming the blood they had coughed up, Buzzwole knelt down next to Umbreon and said, "I'll start with this feisty one."

He then turned to Pheromosa and added, "Unless you want me to spare them," only for the cockroach to shake her head and remark, "Oh no, I only accept male slaves. You can do whatever you want with them."

With that in mind, the mosquito was just about to jab the black fox's neck with his proboscis only for Crabrawler to leap into the ring and send a hard punch into his cheek. His eyes widened as he backed up slightly, rubbing that very spot while Drampa pulled Scorchicken and Umbreon out of the ring and joined the crab.

"Forgot about us already, did you!?" he snapped before Crabrawler breathed heavily and grunted, "I refuse to stand to the side while you kill my best friend! Don't forget that there are four of us present right now! You haven't won yet!"

Buzzwole implied a smirk and nodded his head, saying, "You know, you're right. Besides, someone as strong as I shouldn't need extra blood to defeat four opponents in a row. Right, Pheromosa?" the cockroach nodding and asking, "But shouldn't we at least rest up first?"

The mosquito tapped his chin and shook his head, remarking, "I don't think so. We can handle anything, right, honey?" the cockroach nodding with a light smile and replying, "But of course, darling. You know best."

With the first nine heroes defeated, there were only eight standing in the way of the ultra beasts and Necrozma's group. In short, they were now outnumbered with Nihilego without anyone to oppose her.

Those tuning into the matches could not help but panic. Machop and Isamu hugged one-another while watching the channel that featured Eevee and Popplio, the man saying, "I have no doubt they can do this. We have nothing to fear."

"Right," Machop replied with a nod of her head, "After all, Eevee did defeat Mapin in her most powerful state. If she can handle that, she can handle anything."

At this time, a slender woman with pink hair was currently tuning into the same channel along with a group of kids at the daycare center she ran. This was Isamu's sister, Eiko. Of course, being a huge fan of heroes of all kinds, she really wanted to see Eevee and Popplio pull off something truly amazing, especially since their opponents were the only ones who had not taken in damage prior to their match.

Naturally, Flareon and Chanchai also watched this with intent after having witnessed Umbreon and Scorchicken's match. Seeing how badly Umbreon had been beaten, they could not help but pray for Eevee's safety. They could only guess what Cosmog and Cosmoem had in store.

Of course, every other family was tuned in as well. Primarina had decided to close the circus so she could watch this. And Mantarina was also watching to see how Caterpie performed, hoping her husband would arrive in time to help him out and that he was still strong enough to do so.

On Diamond Head, Necrozma was more than ready to face Caterpie when his eyes glowed. Thus he implied a smirk and said, "Good. It seems all of the first matches are finished. Let's see the results, shall we?"

Caterpie blinked and uttered, "Can you do that?" the crystal man nodding as he projected five images from his eyes, each showing a different location.

Needless to say, Caterpie was mortified by what he saw. Even Magearna had trouble looking when the images showed all of the unconscious opponents, Necrozma saying, "Well, looks like your friends have all been defeated."

"Not all of them!" the caterpillar retorted only for Necrozma to shrug and sigh, "I'd hardly call that a good thing. They'll soon join their allies. Just pray the ultra beasts will be nice enough to spare them."

Caterpie narrowed his eyelids and thought, 'You'll see. My friends are tougher than you think. Even though the first groups lost, there's no way the others will. You and your posse are as good as done."

As it so happened, Necrozma's visions appeared before the others. In the mountainous region, Guzzlord looked at the projections and asked, "What are those?" Kartana replying, "Seems to be some way of showing us how the other fights went. Nice to see the others met the same fate."

Lycanroc gritted her teeth and thought, 'Enjoy this while it lasts. You won't be so confident when I defeat both of you. After the beating you took, even I could pull that off.'

Nihilego looked at all of this at the beach and said, "Well, this is to be expected, but none of them beat two opponents at once. I'm totally better than they are, even if Buzzwole and Pheromosa defeated their best!" a look of frustration taking over.

At the park, Eevee and Popplio stared at this in horror, the fox groaning, "This is looking very similar to the fights with the Tapu family," only for Popplio to shake his head and remark, "I'm sure things will turn out well. We just have to focus on Cosmog and Cosmoem."

Cosmoem smirked and said, "Damn, I knew the ultra beasts were tough, but they just beat the world champion and her opponent," Cosmog nodding and replying, "Yeah. I'm glad we revived them."

At the power plant, Xurkitree folded his arms and sighed, "I know I should be happy, but I was hoping they'd leave some leftovers for us. Oh well, at least we still have two more opponents to take down," Celesteela sighing, "Unfortunately. At least there aren't many left."

Torracat frowned and hissed, "We can make up for all of this, right?" as Decidueye nodded and replied, "Of course we can. We're awesome," the two pounding their fists together.

And finally, in the forest, Buzzwole and Pheromosa saw the results along with Crabrawler and Drampa. The dragon blinked and said, "I know I should be upset, but I'm just glad we have a way to see all of this now," the crab about to retort, though a part of him did agree to a certain extent.

Even so, this was very alarming as Buzzwole said, "Well, nice to see Necrozma and his allies are good enough for this team. Though I doubt any of them were as awesome as me," Pheromosa nodding and replying, "But of course."

The remaining heroes had even more pressure on their shoulders now that they knew how bad things had gotten. They would really need to step up their game. With the villains not taking breaks, they had a slight advantage, but just how much would this help them?


	91. Chapter 91

An hour had passed since Xurkitree and Celesteela defeated Snowshrew and Trumbeak. With that in mind, the cable collection turned toward the bamboo shoot and asked, "Are you ready now?"

"I guess so," Celesteela sighed while she hovered in place. As such, Decidueye and Torracat readied themselves as well, both fully focused while they narrowed their eyelids.

"I know you want more victims to add to your pile," Decidueye stated with a smirk, "But mark my words, that'll never happen for you are up against the mighty Decidueye!" Torracat adding, "And the ferocious Torracat!"

Both posed as Xurkitree groaned, "Oh my god, they're like Buzzwole," Celesteela sighing, "I hope they're not as strong as he is. I just want this to end quickly."

"Sorry to disappoint, but we won't be so easy to take down," Decidueye stated, "After all, we both qualified for the Hero Olympics tournament," Xurkitree remarking, "Look, we're not from this time, so we couldn't care less about that. Seriously, what's so amazing about competing in a bunch of sports?"

Torracat smirked and replied, "Look, our Olympics aren't like human Olympics. Yes, there are sporting events, but that's to narrow us down to sixteen heroes, all of which compete in a fighting tournament. My buddy here made it to the second round. I would have as well if he hadn't been my opponent."

Celesteela tensed up slightly, but Xurkitree looked unimpressed and sighed, "Look, that's all well and good, but you've never faced someone like us before. Celesteela may be a lazy slob, but that last fight should have given you a good idea of how strong she is," the bamboo shoot not even in the mood to retort to the first comment regarding her.

Torracat simply remarked, "We've faced plenty of strong opponents in our lives. You're just another set of fighters for me to sharpen my claws on," Decidueye nodding and replying, "Believe you me, you don't want to mess with her claws. I've been on the receiving end of those myself."

Xurkitree took a deep breath and sighed, "Well then, once I defeat you, I'll pry your claws off of your hands and keep them for myself, assuming I actually see them," the cat narrowing her eyelids and lashing them out.

And with that, both were finally ready to start the fight as Decidueye nodded at Torracat. She grinned in response while the owl plucked out two five of his arrow feathers and pulled up one of his leaf vines to resemble the string on a bow. He then placed the ends of the arrows on it as Celesteela stared in horror. She had not expected him to have a long-ranged attack.

Xurkitree prepared himself to dodge when the owl shouted, "SPIRIT SHACKLE!" firing all five while a purple aura surrounded the tips, two flying at Celesteela while the other three went for Xurkitree. But just as the cable collection and the bamboo shoot were about to retaliate, they noticed that all five arrows missed them completely and hit the canvas next to them.

Silence filled the area until Xurkitree broke out into hysterics and shouted, "Oh my god! You built yourself up as this great fighter who was going to put me in my place, but you can't make a good shot to save your life!"

But of course, he could not have been more off the mark since two of the arrows had been used to pin Celesteela's arms down via their shadows and the other three were currently lodged in the arms and leg of Xurkitree. Though for whatever reason, neither one seemed to bleed as a result, but the owl and cat did not let this bother them. If anything, it made it much easier to trick them.

With that in mind, Decidueye smirked and remarked, "That's what you think," as he took to the sky and flew toward Celesteela with his beak glowing green and shouted, "SOLAR PECK!"

Torracat sprinted toward Xurkitree with her claws at the ready and leapt toward him. But just as both were about to land their attacks, they were shocked when Celesteela easily lifted up her arms, both arrows flying out of the mat and away from the shadows. She then sent both of them downward into Decidueye's skull and thus he gasped and fell flat on his chin.

Torracat, meanwhile, was caught off guard when Xurkitree managed to move easily despite the arrows not separating from his shadow. Instead, they seemed to shift along the mat with it while he wrapped his arms around the cat and planted his tail plug into the mat. And just like when he did this to Trumbeak, electricity flowed through him while he shouted, "DISCHARGE!" sending a surge of it down Torracat's spine.

She cried out in pain and shouted, "CAT BALA!" her bell-like organ glowing. The dot in the middle then turned into a stream of fire and shot forward into Xurkitree's neck like a bullet, dealing just enough pain for him to release his hold on her.

When the cat backed up and Decidueye regained enough strength to distance himself from Celesteela, they breathed heavily while the villains looked around them and noticed that the arrows had changed locations. The ones in the bamboo shoot's arms were now outside of the ring while Xurkitree's continued to move with his shadow and cut open the canvas.

"Oh, I get it now," Xurkitree said with a nod of his head, "These arrows have some kind of spiritual power that was meant to hold us in place. I'll admit, that is unexpected, but unfortunately, we're both too strong for that. Right Celesteela?"

Celesteela nodded with a light smile and replied, "Exactly. My armour isn't just for show. It protects me from projectiles like arrows. Not only that, but my body is also made of metal, so I don't think aiming them directly for me would work."

"As for me," Xurkitree added, "I've taken in arrows many times in the past. Not only do they somehow not open my skin up, but they've never hurt me or kept me from moving. It seems like this fight might be easier than the last one if this is the best you can do."

Decidueye tensed up as Torracat looked at him and uttered, "You okay, buddy?" the owl's eye twitching. He then turned to her and retorted, "Okay? OKAY!? How can I possibly be okay!? My Spirit Shackle is the reason I'm so awesome in combat! If I can't rely on it, then I'm useless!"

Torracat stared at him with concern. But after a few seconds, she sported a more serious look and slapped him hard across the cheek. He rubbed that very spot and stared at her as she took hold of his shoulders and hissed, "I don't wanna hear that from you! Remember when you fought Eevee!? She found a way around your Spirit Shackle and yet you found other ways to get her to drop her guard!"

"But I lost that fight," he uttered only for the cat to retort, "So what!? You still came really close to winning regardless! Come on! Who's my awesome best friend?"

"I am," Decidueye sighed with a look of doubt only for the cat to shake him by his shoulders and snap, "Who's my awesome best friend!?"

The owl narrowed his eyelids and nodded his head, remarking, "I am!" the cat beaming bright and letting go. With that in mind, Decidueye spread out of his wings and took to the sky while Torracat grabbed hold of his ankles and allowed him to lift her up.

"My strategy may have failed, but there's a lot more where that came from!" he exclaimed as he hurled Torracat toward Xurkitree. She lashed out her claws and rolled up into a ball, shouting, "FLYING FURBALL!" striking him hard in the chest.

Decidueye soared toward Celesteela again, the cyborg lifting her arms defensively only for him to fly a bit higher and sent his right talon into her face. He then delivered a roundhouse to her neck and said, "You may be made of metal, but your upper body is still skinny. I could tell from the moment I laid eyes on you that your neck and head were your weak spots."

For the first time, Celesteela felt a true sense of urgency as she gasped, "NO!" clenching her stalk-like fingers together and sending a hard punch into Decidueye's face. Torracat stared in horror while Xurkitree took full advantage of the distraction and grabbed hold of her tail.

"You shouldn't turn your back to your opponent," the cable collection stated before lifting the cat up and swinging her around. He then flung her into the turnbuckle while Celesteela sent Decidueye careening into the opposite one with a punch to his pelvis.

Things seemed to get worse when the bamboo shoot aimed her palms sideways, shouting, "FLASH CANNON!" a beam firing toward each hero. Torracat and Decidueye recovered just in time to see this coming and thus they leapt out of the way just in time to avoid the beams. However, their eyes were wide with terror when the resulting explosions destroyed the turnbuckles.

"That could have been us," Decidueye uttered, Torracat gulping, "No kidding," the two turning toward Celesteela who frowned and spat, "As I said before, thanks to my arms, I don't need to move in order to defeat you!"

Xurkitree nodded and replied, "That's true. You may not exercise, you may be slow at times, but you are dependable. I forgot why you were a part of this team, but now I remember."

While most would have had trouble accepting a compliment like this, Celesteela was just glad to get a little recognition. As such, she smiled and nodded her head, saying, "Don't worry, Xurkitree. I'll do my best to help us achieve victory. You can count on it."

"I'm really starting to wonder if we really can beat these guys," Decidueye groaned, "When my Spirit Shackle failed, I got the upper hand because of how the ring was set up. Then when Eevee found a way to work around that-"

"Please, try not to dwell on this," Torracat sighed, "Who's my awesome best friend?" the owl ignoring her question and adding, "And even so, these guys must have been called the ultra beasts for a reason!"

"Hey, keep it together!" Torracat snapped while she took hold of his shoulders and shook him. However, Xurkitree simply laughed and clapped, saying, "I admire your commitment, kitty, but your friend seems to have finally figured out that you can't beat us no matter what. You guys may be better than those other two, but yes, there is a reason we are called the ultra beasts. It's because our power is unmatched. You can land as many blows as you like, but you'll never defeat us."

Celesteela nodded and said, "We've never lost in combat, so I guess that must be true," Decidueye breathing heavily and groaning, "What's wrong with me? I've never been this scared before in my life."

Torracat narrowed her eyelids and slapped the owl across the face. He blinked as she hissed, "Get a hold of yourself! The only reason they've never lost is because back in the day, the only ones who could oppose them were humans! Now beings like us are here to make things harder for them! I'm sure as long as we keep going, we can defeat them! After all, alone, we're pretty awesome, but when we fight together, we're even more awesome!"

The owl stared briefly before nodding his head with a serious look in his eyes. He then took to the sky and exclaimed, "I don't care how strong you are! I'm not gonna just give up and let you and your friends take over! Come on, Torracat, let's show them another taste of teamwork!"

The cat nodded and leapt up to his level as he latched onto her shoulders. With that, black flames covered her paws while she lifted them up and placed them against Decidueye's ankles, the fire consuming his feathers. And while this did cause him slight pain, he was strangely able to resist it.

"What in God's name are you doing?" Xurkitree uttered, the owl retorting, "Since I can't use my arrows for their intended purpose, I figure I may as well use them for something else, something that can actually hurt you!"

He then spun around and shouted, "RAIN OF FIRE ARROWS!" the remaining arrow feathers flying off of him with black fire on their heads. Now Xurkitree and Celesteela were slightly intimidated and thus they held up their arms to block the incoming projectiles.

Celesteela gasped when she noticed the arrows lodge themselves into her arms. As if that was not enough, a couple of them struck her dress while another hit her neck. And while this was surprisingly not fatal for her, it still hurt as she let out a light gasp.

Xurkitree winced from the pain inflicted by six arrows, sparks rising up from his wires. However, he saw an opportunity here and said, "Big mistake," before planting his tail plug into the canvas while electricity travelled up his body. He then pointed his arms forward and shouted, "SHORT CIRCUIT!"

Torracat and Decidueye stared in horror when the electricity flew toward them and covered their bodies. They cried out in pain until the attack came to an end. Thus both were covered in burns as the owl released his hold on the cat, both falling on their backs.

"As you can see, opening me up causes lightning to shoot out of my body," Xurkitree explained, "I'll give you credit for actually finding a way to hurt us with your arrows, but in the end, you only made things easier for us."

He then looked at the arrows scattered about and added, "I think I'll collect these once this is all over," Celesteela prying the arrows out of her.

When both villains stared at their opponents, they noticed that neither one appeared to be able to move. It seemed as if they had actually won the match, Xurkitree picking up a few arrows and shoving them into his cables, saying, "Well, what do you know? I said I'd collect these when it's all over and it was already over."

Celesteela breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, saying, "I have to admit, Xurkitree, you're pretty amazing. Sometimes I wish I had your spirit," the cable collection sighing, "Look, I know I insult you a lot, but I really appreciate your help whenever you give it. I've come to accept that you're not the most active member of the team. At least you know how to make good use of those arms of yours."

But just as they were about the exit the ring, Celesteela's eyes widened with shock when she heard a familiar female voice hiss, "Hey, this isn't over yet!"

Both villains turned and noticed Torracat back on her feet. She breathed heavily with burns all over her, but she was still able to stand while she pointed and shouted, "You say you've never lost a match before, but that's only because you've never faced creatures like us! Humans may be easy pickings for you, but we're not!"

While Xurkitree felt irritated by this at first, his confidence returned as he scoffed, "It's really hard to feel intimidated when your partner is still unconscious!" Torracat slowly turning to her side to see that the cable collection was right. Decidueye was still out like a light with smoke rising up from him.

Torracat now felt that uselessness Decidueye did before. It was as she said. While alone, they were strong, they were much better when working together. How could she possibly take on two powerful opponents like these by herself?

Celesteela smiled and said, "You know, I don't mind helping you out with this. There's only one of them," Xurkitree chuckling, "Now you're talking. I have to admit, you're pretty cute when you're not whining about work."

While Celesteela blushed lightly, Torracat breathed heavily and stared at both villains. All the while, she thought, 'I criticized Decidueye for his fear earlier, but honestly, I now understand. Come to think of it, I've felt this kind of fear before.'

She remembered a time back when she was seven and went to a normal human school. One time during recess, she was playing in the sandbox when a pair of bullies approached her. One was a blue frog named Croagunk and the other was a humanoid mushroom with a purple cap named Shiinotic.

Before she could react, the mushroom latched onto her arms from behind while the frog shouted, "POISON JAB!" a purple glow surrounding his fingers when he jabbed them into her gut. He continued to whale on her while many students gathered around to watch.

However, the frog stopped his assault when a certain owl walked by and said, "Hey, it's not nice to pick on girls," Shiinotic retorting, "And who asked you, new kid!?"

Decidueye narrowed his eyelids before striking a pose and shouting, "Do you know not whose presence you are in!? I will make you pay for that comment!" before setting up two arrow feathers and barking, "SPIRIT SHACKLE!"

At this point, he was not much of a shot, so he wound up missing. As such, Croagunk scoffed, "What a loser! Come on, Shiinotic, let's teach him a lesson!"

Torracat saw this and gasped. As such, she rose to her feet and gritted her teeth, lashing out her claws. She then focused hard and thought, 'Come on!' before small black flames covered her fingers. With that, she raced toward Shiinotic and Croagunk and shouted, "DARKEST LARIAT!" spinning toward them with her arms out and striking them both on the sides.

The students all cheered wildly as Decidueye blinked and said, "Hey, that was cool," Torracat sighing, "Well, seeing you stand up for me gave me confidence. I've always been afraid to fight back, but thanks to you, I don't feel so bad about that."

Unfortunately, things took a bad turn when Croagunk and Shiinotic noticed a teacher enter the area. As such, they both smirked before crying loudly. And sure enough, Torracat and Decidueye were both sent to detention as a result.

While seated outside the principal's office, Decidueye clutched onto the sides of his head and whimpered, "Oh no, my dad's gonna kill me! I've never gotten in trouble before in my life! Oh god!"

"Hey, you're the new transfer student, right?" Torracat enquired as Decidueye forgot about what he had just complained about and nodded. He then smiled and explained, "Yeah. I'm from India. I have to admit, some things take some getting used to here. For instance, did you know we eat most of our food with our hands?"

"Wow, really!?" Torracat squeaked, "I get scolded for doing that at home! You're so lucky!" Decidueye sighing, "Not really. Have you ever tried washing feathers? It's not fun."

The cat giggled before sighing, "But really, thanks so much for everything. Croagunk and Shiinotic think they can just pick on whoever they want because they have powers and no one else can stand up to them. I guess I've always had the ability to face them but I've never had the courage to use it."

"Well, happy to be of service, I guess," the owl replied with a grin as both were called into the principal's office. While both ultimately had to deal with a slight punishment for their actions, the principal thankfully believed them when they told her Croagunk and Shiinotic started it.

But even if that had not been the case, it did not change the fact that a wonderful friendship had been born that day. And back in present time, Torracat took a deep breath and thought, 'That's right. I need to be strong for him.'

With that in mind, she lashed out her claws and hissed, "Don't look so confident! You still have me to deal with, and there's no way in Hell I'll let you have your way!"


	92. Chapter 92

So far, things were not looking good. While Decidueye and Torracat had dealt decent damage to their opponents, there was no doubt they were still in trouble. The owl was out cold and the cat looked weak after the electric shock both had taken in earlier.

Even so, she felt more than confident that she could at least keep Xurkitree and Celesteela at bay until Decidueye recovered. She had to be able to do that much, especially since he was the one who changed her into the hero she was today.

Xurkitree placed his hands against his hips and sighed, "You know, I was considering showing you mercy, but since you insist on fighting us by yourself, it's your fault if you get hurt further," Celesteela pointing her hands forward and charging up her palms.

"FLASH CANNON!" she shouted as she fired a large beam toward Torracat. She smirked in response to this and thought, 'Perfect,' before leaping over it. Though seeing the ropes meet the same fate that two of the turnbuckles did was certainly alarming.

Even so, she refused to let this get to her, thus she descended toward Xurkitree with her claws aimed at his chest. The cable collection planted his tail plug into the mat and readied himself for a counterattack. Fortunately, though, Torracat saw this coming, rose her paws and struck his head.

While his spikes dealt some damage to her paws, she ignored the pain and used all her might to force him onto his back. She then flipped off of him and planted her feet into Celesteela's face, distancing herself from the duo.

Just as Xurkitree rose back to his feet, he and Celesteela were unprepared when Torracat covered her paws in black fire. She then spun toward them both like a top with her arms out and shouted, "DARKEST LARIAT!" striking each one on the side.

Celesteela gasped when she noticed a bit of blood and oil leak out of her side. However, Xurkitree was not the least bit alarmed since once again, his cables had been cut open.

"Did you already forget how much this helps me?" he tauntingly asked before pointing his right hand toward her and placing his plug into the mat again. He then shouted, "SHORT CIRCUIT!" while a large bolt of electricity shot toward Torracat. However, he gasped in shock when he noticed she was standing right in front of a distracted Celesteela when he did this.

Torracat smirked and said, "I was hoping you'd try that," before leaping to the side. And sure enough, Celesteela looked up too late to so much as block the incoming surge. As such, it hit her hard as she cried out in pain, Xurkitree shouting, "OH MY GOD! I AM SO SORRY!"

With that, he ran over to the bamboo shoot while Torracat distanced herself from the two and breathed heavily, thinking, 'That took quite a bit out of me, but I can't believe I just pulled that off.'

She then looked down at Decidueye and noticed his wing start to twitch. She knew even an electric shock could not keep him down and she was beyond relieved to see that she was right. She just needed to stall the villains a little bit longer.

"Celesteela, I did not mean to shock you," Xurkitree uttered, Celesteela nodding and replying, "It's fine. I'm made of metal. I can handle it," knocking on her dress, "See? You don't have to worry."

The cable collection sighed with relief when Celesteela smiled and said, "Thanks for worrying about me anyway."

Xurkitree gave her an odd look before shaking his head and turning back toward Torracat. At that moment, his head turned beet red before he spat, "I hate to admit it, but you were right about one thing! Fighting humans is nothing like fighting you and your friend there! But even so, you're still fighting us by yourself! So you landed a few lucky hits! That means nothing!"

With that in mind, he inserted his plug into the canvas once more and added, "By the way, those arrows aren't the only things I've stored inside of myself," Torracat and Celesteela giving him awkward stares as he added, "It might not make a lot of sense, but I can fit lots inside of me. I've claimed a lot of this technology stuff for myself and stored it within my wires. I have a funny feeling all of this might actually help increase my chances of finishing you off."

Torracat's eyes and mouth widened when it seemed his assumption was correct. Volts of electricity swirled all around him while the gaps in his forearms were soon covered by new cables. His hands expanded into large metal spheres while the rest of his body puffed up in size. Due to the zip-ties binding his wires together, though, they were unable to grow to an immense size, but it was still enough for him to look at least four times stronger.

Celesteela stared before smiling lightly and saying, "Wow, you look just as buff as Buzzwole," Xurkitree turning to her and asking, "Really?"

The bamboo shoot nodded as Torracat tensed up and thought, 'Come on, Decidueye! Get up! There's no way I can-'

She was cut off, though, when Decidueye rose to his feet and asked, "What's with the scared look? I thought you were better than that."

Torracat turned to him with a big smile before Xurkitree laughed and said, "Oh, good, you're up too. That means I can demonstrate my new level of strength on you," Celesteela hoping it really would be that easy.

Torracat turned back to the cable collection and sighed, "Oh, right, he just made himself stronger. You think we still stand a chance?" the owl nodding and replying, "Yeah, we can still take him. Remember, alone, we're both pretty awesome, but when we fight together, we're even more awesome."

The cat breathed a sigh of relief and beamed bright, both heroes speeding toward the villains. And when they got close, they sent two kicks into Xurkitree's shoulders. However, they were shocked when this wound up dealing only a small amount of damage.

"You may have been able to hurt me before, but not anymore," Xurkitree quipped while he sent his new spherical hands into their guts. And sure enough, this dealt considerable pain to them before he wrapped an arm around each one and inserted his plug into the mat. Electricity covered him as he said, "Hey, Celesteela, you can take a break if you'd like. Seems like I might not need your help anymore."

The bamboo shoot blinked and smiled lightly, nodding her head. With that, electricity covered Xurkitree and hit both Torracat and Decidueye hard while they cried out in agonizing pain. The cable collection then leaned backward and shouted, "THOUSAND VOLT DOUBLE SUPLEX!"

The back of Torracat and Decidueye's heads hit the canvas hard as both coughed up blood, their eyes and mouths wide with shock. Xurkitree then released his hold and said, "I wanted to try out more on you guys, but it looks in the end, I won. Or I guess I should say we won, eh?"

Celesteela beamed bright when suddenly, Torracat and Decidueye propelled themselves up and sent their feet into Xurkitree's back. As if both recovering was not surprising enough, the biggest shock was that they treated all the pain they had suffered throughout the match like it was nothing.

Xurkitree once again took in very little pain, though, as he spun around and punched them both in the gut again. However, this time Torracat and Decidueye ignored it and smirked before placing firm grips on the hands. Then using them as leverage, they lifted themselves up and swung their feet into Xurkitree's neck.

"Are you okay?" Celesteela gasped, the cable collection remarking, "Please, my new body's so tough, I can handle anything," raising his arms and swinging them downward into Torracat and Decidueye's skulls.

This managed to knock them down briefly, but once again, they miraculously recovered and distanced themselves from him. If Xurkitree had eyes, they would have been twitching right now. Instead, his head turned beet red as he spat, "How are you doing that!? You barely got up after I hit you with my normal strength!"

"It's because your new strength doesn't scare us!" Decidueye retorted, Torracat adding, "You can absorb the energy from this entire power plant and you still won't be able to beat us!"

Celesteela looked frightened, but Xurkitree did not, thus his head returned to its normal colour. He then stroked the lower spike on the front of his face and said, "All of the power from this plant. I never thought about that. That's intriguing."

"But how-?" Celesteela uttered, both heroes panicking now while Torracat groaned, "Oh no, why did I have to say that?"

Xurkitree leapt atop a wire and placed his tail plug right up against it. And sure enough, electricity started to flow through him as he said, "Wow. I feel amazing, even more so than ever before. I'd thank you, little cat girl, but considering you had no intention of helping me, I won't."

Celesteela smiled and replied, "That's great! There's no way they can-" but she was cut off when she noticed electricity flying out of Xurkitree. As if that was not enough, his zip-ties were starting to crack. One could only guess what would happen after that.

Decidueye and Torracat could see this too, the owl turning to the cat and uttering, "I think you might have just made things better for us."

And sure enough, just like when Scorchicken had convinced Bewear to consume all of his honey, Xurkitree panicked when one of his shoulder cables burst open, a puff of smoke forming in its wake. He tried to remove his tail plug only to find himself unable to move it. His wires had grown too big now as he yelled, "Oh no! Celesteela, help me!"

But it was too late when a much bigger explosion surrounded him. Everyone stared in stunned silence until Decidueye uttered, "Did he just blow a fuse?"

Celesteela gasped, "XURKITREE!" only for the smoke to clear and reveal that he had not destroyed himself like the group thought. Unlike Bewear, who had weakened significantly from giving himself too much power, Xurkitree had simply destroyed his new wires and reverted back to normal.

Xurkitree stood there silently for a few seconds before looking at his arms and sighing, "Aw. I'm gonna miss all that power," before pulling out an MP3 player he had stolen and grumbling, "I just used up all of this beautiful creation's power for that."

He then leapt back into the ring and pointed at the heroes, shouting, "It doesn't matter! We can still defeat you, right, Celesteela!?" the bamboo shoot nodding with a light smile. She then patted him on the shoulder as lightly as she could and said, "I'm just relieved you can still fight. For a second there, I thought you might have killed yourself."

"Honestly, so did I," Xurkitree groaned as Decidueye smirked and nudged Torracat, saying, "That may not have defeated him, but your suggestion just made him weaker."

The cat laughed nervously and replied, "I guess it's true what they say. Cats do have good luck," thinking, 'But seriously, thank god that actually worked in our favour!'

Xurkitree raced toward the heroes with his arms at the ready. Celesteela, meanwhile, did something she never thought she would do. After having her cannons miss twice, she placed a firm grip on her own sides and tilted herself forward. This wound up costing her a bit of energy, but she ignored this and started up her drill. The ends of her lower stocks then lit up and boosted her forward as she started up her drill, shouting, "SKULL POWER DRILL RUSH!"

Seeing this, Xurkitree nodded with admiration and said, "Let me help you," leaping over to her and taking hold of her. He then ran along with her to increase her speed and stir up a bit of wind. However, neither Decidueye nor Torracat were worried about this.

"You ready for an awesome finisher?" the cat asked as the owl nodded and replied, "You'd better believe it, buddy."

With that, Torracat lit her paws on fire once more and allowed Decidueye to clasp his beak to her tail. He then lifted her up and spun backwards, moving forward like a flying wheel as not only were her claws out but so were his talons. And Once close enough, Decidueye rose himself slightly above the incoming drill, thus his and Torracat's claws put large gashes in Celesteela and Xurkitree's backs.

"DARKEST SPIKE WHEEL!" the two shouted while the villains cried out in pain. Blood and oil flew out of Celesteela's back while Xurkitree had sparks flying from him. And with that, both fell flat on their faces, feeling too weak to move.

Decidueye and Torracat separated from one-another and landed behind their opponents. They looked down at them for twenty seconds. And just to make sure it was over, Decidueye tapped a single toe against each one and nodded with a big smile.

"We did it," he said as Torracat bit her lower lip and squealed, "I KNEW IT! TOGETHER, WE'RE AWESOME SAUCE!"

With all said and done, both took a seat and let out many deep breaths. Decidueye then looked up at the sky and said, "I wonder how the others are fairing."

During all of this in the mountainous region, Lycanroc narrowed her eyelids at Guzzlord and Kartana. Despite being outnumbered, she was still confident that she could win. After all, both villains had taken in considerable damage from Noivern and Cyndaquil, especially the samurai. If anything, one more hit would probably be enough to finish him off.

But just as it was about to start, Kartana stated, "Now that we have dealt with one traitor, I will enjoy defeating another. However, there is one thing I must do before we begin."

He then reached into an opening right in front of his chin, much like a collar on a top. He pulled out a small black ball before Lycanroc blinked and enquired, "If you don't mind me asking, what is that?"

"It's solidified ink," the samurai explained before popping it into his mouth. Lycanroc's eyes and mouth widened when suddenly, all of the wrinkles Noivern had left on him were gone. And when Kartana noticed her expression, he nodded and explained, "Well, it would be unfair if you were to fight me under a disadvantage. Ink allows me to instantly recover from any damage I take in during a fight."

"What!?" Lycanroc spat, "Come on! You outnumber me two to one! Can't you at least give me a handicap!?" only for Kartana to retort, "A true warrior would be able to fight anyone without such a thing. You should feel fortunate that I don't have anything to heal Guzzlord here."

The demon shrugged his shoulders and added, "Not that it matters too much for me. Your friends may have hit me a lot, but I feel fine," Lycanroc now starting to lose her confidence. How could she possibly defeat them alone?

Either way, she had to try. As such, she held up her fists and thought, 'My usual start probably won't work. Either one can easily hit me from a distance, so it's best to avoid my zombie walk.'

With that in mind, she raced toward Guzzlord with her arms pointed backward and flapping in the breeze. She then leapt toward them and clenched her fists, ready to send two punches into the demon. Unfortunately, though, he was more than ready for this as he whipped out his tongue arms and locked her wrists in place with their hands.

As if that was not enough, Kartana flew toward her and spun like a pinwheel. He then whizzed right past her and put a small cut on her cheek, shouting, "ORIGAMI SHURIKEN!"

After that, Guzzlord lifted the wolf up and slammed her back into the canvas, saying, "I don't think you really needed that ink, Kartana. She really can't handle two opponents at once."

The demons retracted his tongue arms while Lycanroc gritted her teeth and thought, 'I can see why Kartana's slashes were able to get Noivern and Cyndaquil to drop their guards so easily. For such tiny blades, those really hurt.'

Even so, she had to be strong for the group. As such, with the resistance she had built from her fight with Bulu, she ignored the pain and propelled herself upward. Guzzlord stared in shock as she planted both of her feet into his real face, swinging her paw sideways into Kartana.

Unfortunately, her slight advantage did not last when Guzzlord latched onto her left wrist and flung her into the turnbuckle. He then looked at Kartana and asked, "Are you alright?" the samurai nodding and replying, "Yes, I'll be fine."

He then turned toward the wolf and said, "Honestly, I'm just impressed that she managed to land any hits considering the position she is in. Even so, I think deep down, even she knew that she had no chance of coming out on top."

Drool dripped from Guzzlord's mouth as he asked, "May I eat her now?" Kartana nodding and replying, "Yes, and afterwards, you can have the bat. The less traitors we have in the world, the better."

Guzzlord released his tongue arms from his mouth and took hold of Lycanroc, reeling her toward him. But just as he was less than a second away from placing her onto his actual tongue, his and Kartana's eyes widened when a slender brown wolf leapt sideways toward them, spinning with his claws pointed out and shouting, "WOLF BARREL!"

He soon rammed hard into Guzzlord's real face. As a result, various slashes formed while he released his hold on Lycanroc. And upon hitting the canvas, she opened her eyes and gasped in shock while her saviour distanced himself from Guzzlord and landed right next to her, asking, "You okay, babe?"

Sure enough, right before the red wolf's eyes was Lugarugan, her ex-boyfriend. But why was he here? Why had he just saved her? Whatever the case, she could not have been more grateful.

"Who's this!?" Kartana growled, "How dare you get in our way! You'll pay dearly for that!" Guzzlord groaning, "I was looking forward to a good meal, too."

"Sorry, but my ex-girlfriend isn't on the menu," Lugarugan stated with a smirk, "If you want her, you'll have to get through me, but be careful. I'm no slouch, if you get my drift," planting his fist against his palm.


	93. Chapter 93

Lycanroc still could not believe her eyes. She and Noivern were at death's door when, of all people, Lugarugan had leapt into the area to help. But why would he do that after the red wolf broke up with him? After all, his temper was one of many things that made him terrifying and he was never the kind to forgive anyone for hurting his feelings.

Even so, she could not have been more grateful. As such, she rose to her feet and said, "Thank you, Lugarugan," the brown wolf replying, "Don't mention it. When I saw on the news that you were gonna fight these monsters, I had a feeling you might need my help. I'd have rushed in sooner, but it took me a while to find this place."

Lycanroc nodded and sighed, "Just so you know-" only for Lugarugan to cut in and say, "Look, it's fine. I know that no matter what I do, I'll never have you back, and that's okay because, honestly, I don't deserve it. I took you for granted and treated you like nothing more than a tool for my own benefit. Besides, I've heard about how you're into that disgusting worm. Personally, I think you can do better, but he obviously makes you happy, so whatevs."

The red wolf stared briefly before smiling and replying, "So you really have turned over a new leaf," Lugarugan nodding and saying, "Yeah. After my loss to Eevee, I did some thinking and ultimately decided to go straight. I actually moved to Ontario when they released me and helped out the heroes there. I've been meaning to reconnect with you since, but I had a funny feeling you'd rather not see me unless I could truly prove that I learned my lesson."

"Wait a minute!" Kartana snapped, "Are you telling me that you're a former villain too!?" Lugarugan retorting, "Yeah! So!? What's the deal!?"

"I'm going to assume you're asking why I have a problem with this," Kartana grunted, "If there is one thing I can't stand, it's traitors! You getting in our way was bad enough, but now that I know you used to serve our side, I cannot let this go!"

Guzzlord nodded and grunted, "You're going to pay for interrupting my meal! I'm going to make you both into a sandwich and savour every bite!"

"As if!" Lugarugan retorted with a smirk, "As you probably figured, Lycanroc and I used to be partners in combat! We make for the ultimate team, so I'd think twice before challenging us!"

"I couldn't care less!" Kartana retorted as he had Guzzlord latch onto him and hurl him toward the two. He once again spun like a pinwheel and shouted, "ORIGAMI SHURIKEN!" circling the wolves and covering them in cuts.

Lugarugan ignored the pain while he smirked and remarked, "Come on, compared to Eevee, you're a pushover!" throwing his arm forward and taking hold of the samurai. He then lifted him up and slammed him hard into the canvas when Guzzlord whipped out his tongue arms and shifted them toward the duo.

"What say we give him a taste of an old classic?" Lugarugan asked as Lycanroc managed to ignore the pain from the various slashes like he did. She smiled and nodded before both leapt away from the incoming arms.

Lugarugan proceeded to go down on all fours as Lycanroc leapt atop his back and wrapped her legs around his sides. She then leaned forward and held her claws out, the brown wolf bolting toward Guzzlord. The demon was unable to react, thus he took the claws to his fake chin, his real eyes wide with terror while Lycanroc and Lugarugan shouted, "DUAL ACCELEROCK!"

Afterwards, Lycanroc leapt off of Lugarugan's back and clenched her paws into fists. Dark wind surrounded them before she shouted, "DOUBLE DARKNESS FIST!" and sent them both into the demon's real face.

While Guzzlord certainly had more than enough strength left to take on Lycanroc by himself, Lugarugan had just complicated things considerably. Now he had no idea if he would be able to win this, especially since the brown wolf had managed to resist Kartana's mighty blades.

"Just think, if I hadn't been such a fool, we could have fought evil like this much sooner," Lugarugan stated Lycanroc smiling sweetly and replying, "The fact that you realize that is good enough for me."

Kartana rose back to his feet and growled, "How dare you ignore my blades of fury!?" before dashing toward him and shouting, "ORIGAMI SLASH!"

Lugarugan turned just in time to see a cut form on his shoulder. However, he once again ignored it and reached for Kartana. This time, the samurai was ready, though, as he held his blades in front of his face and blocked the incoming paw.

Lycanroc was about to strike him when suddenly, Guzzlord got over his fear of the wolves and whipped out his tongue arms. He took hold of her and spat, "You shouldn't turn your back to your opponent!"

He then lifted the red wolf up and flipped her over, shouting, "TONGUE DRIVER!" Lugarugan looking up just in time for her skull to collide with his. Kartana bowed his head to the demon and said, "Thank you. Now let's show them just how strong we really are."

With that in mind, the samurai leapt into Guzzlord's mouth while Lugarugan and Lycanroc rose to their feet. The red wolf gasped, "Oh shit, I know what's coming!"

Guzzlord spat Kartana toward them while a green acid covered his body, the two shouting, "NINJA SHOOTING STAR!" Luckily, both wolves managed to evade the attack just in time before Lugarugan stared silently at Lycanroc.

She took many deep breaths as Kartana stood on the top rope with fury. He could not believe they managed to dodge that. However, right now, Lugarugan hardly seemed to care about this.

Lycanroc finally noticed him staring at her and asked, "What?" the brown wolf uttering, "Oh my god. You managed to recover from that blow at the same time I did."

Lycanroc blinked and said, "Right, you probably haven't heard, but yeah, a while back, I fought a villain named Bulu. He gave me these markings on my paws," holding them up while the brown wolf wondered how he had not noticed that yet, "Anyway, they burned really badly, and, well, I guess after dealing with it long enough, I finally developed a good tolerance to pain. In other words, taking in hits doesn't hinder me as much as it used to."

Lugarugan had a big smile on his face as he replied, "That's awesome. Just think, if you had that level of tolerance back when we fought, you probably could have beaten me," the red wolf blushing lightly and replying, "Yeah, I probably could have."

"Hey, don't ignore me!" Kartana snapped as he leapt toward them with his blades at the ready. Both wolves turned to face him and spat, "Do you mind!? We were having a moment!?" before swinging their paws into him and sending him flying into the turnbuckle.

Guzzlord tensed up and picked up Kartana. He then placed him on his shoulder and asked, "Are you alright?" the samurai shaking off the pain and replying, "Of course I am. Though I have to admit, this is not going as planned. So far, that other wolf is making things much more difficult. We need to take care of him first."

Guzzlord nodded and enquired, "What do you suggest we do?" the samurai tapping his chin before replying, "I was hoping I would never have to rely on this, but I have no choice," pulling out a golden ball from under his collar and adding, "This ball of hardened paint will fill me with immense power. And once I weaken him, you're free to enjoy him to your heart's content."

The demon drooled with a big smile on his fake face, saying, "Oh, I like the sound of that. You're the best partner I could have ever asked for."

Kartana nodded before popping the paint into his mouth. At that moment, a bright red aura surrounded him as Lycanroc and Lugarugan turned to see this. However, this was not all that happened. Not only did Kartana's power seem to rise, but he also expanded to the size of a common three-year-old.

Lycanroc tensed up and whimpered, "Oh no," Lugarugan uttering, "Because those blades weren't already sharp enough."

"I see that you two finally understand the position you are in," Kartana stated, "You didn't take me seriously before. But now that I'm strong enough, you have no choice but to treat me as your equal! I may not be as tall as you are, but I'm certainly stronger! You'll both wish you never chose to fight for the side of good!"

With that, he once again had Guzzlord pick him up and hurl him toward the wolves. When he got close, he shouted, "GIANT ORIGAMI SHURIKEN!" putting a big slash in each one's side. Both cried out in pain while he swerved around like a boomerang and put another cut into Lugarugan's cheek, growling, "Fret not, red wolf! Your friend is the one I intend to defeat first for his level of treachery!"

"God, do you ever shut up about that!?" Lugarugan spat while Kartana sent another slash into his shoulder, "Traitor this, traitor that! Is that all you ever think about!? You must have the most depressing life ever if all you care about is getting revenge on everyone!"

With that in mind, he leapt up once the samurai was close enough to deal a forth strike. He then threw his legs back and planted the claws on his feet into Kartana's chest. And since he was made of origami paper, it was even easier to dig them into him.

"Let go of me!" Kartana snapped while he struggled to free himself. But all this really did was put small cuts on him as he tensed up, Guzzlord shouting, "Let go of my ally!" whipping his tongue arms out. However, Lycanroc was not going to let him ruin this and thus she leapt toward his real face with her claws out and spun like a drill, shouting, "WOLF BULLET!"

And sure enough, the demon took her claws to that very spot and cried out in pain. This was all Lugarugan needed as he flipped three hundred and sixty degrees, shouting, "FULL MOON FLIP!" the back of Kartana's head hitting the canvas hard.

"I have to thank you for making yourself bigger," Lugarugan stated with a smirk, "Now you've made yourself a much easier target for my best moves."

However, he soon found himself distracted when he noticed Lycanroc caught in Guzzlord's grip. The demon slammed her upper back into the canvas and shouted, "I WON'T LET YOU RUIN KARTANA'S PLANS! I'LL MAKE YOU BOTH SUFFER!"

As such, he proceeded to slam Lycanroc into the mat three times. Lugarugan raced in to help only for the demon to hurl her into him, knocking him on his back. He then puffed up the sides of his belly and belched, "GASTRO ACID!" unleashing the same green liquid that gave Noivern such a hard time.

And sure enough, both wolves were covered in it as they cried out in agonizing pain. While the acid would not burn their flesh or even their fur for that matter, it was still painful, steam rising from them.

Kartana rose back up and bowed his head to Guzzlord, saying, "Thank you, Guzzlord. You truly are the best ally and friend I could have asked for," the demon letting down a light tear and sniffing, "Come on, you're making me cry!"

Things got much worse for the wolves when Kartana used this chance to speed past them, shouting, "ORIGAMI SLASH!" two big gashes forming on their sides.

However, Lycanroc managed to ignore it while she took many deep breaths, saying, "This isn't the first time I've been burned or slashed in a match. I can handle this," Lugarugan saying, "You might not have to overcome the burn. Some of this stomach acid is stuck in our fur, remember?"

Lycanroc's eyes widened before she nodded and knelt down, placing her big paws against the mat. Lugarugan did the same when Kartana turned to them and asked, "Why isn't Guzzlord's acid wearing you down?"

"I dunno," Lugarugan retorted with a smirk, "Maybe you should see if it's actually working or not." He then nodded at Lycanroc before both shook their fur and barked, "WET DOG SHAKE!"

Kartana stared while the stomach acid flew off of the wolves and landed on him. However, as he had already allowed himself to be covered in the acids before, it was already clear that it did not effect him. But even so, this was certainly alarming as Guzzlord gulped nervously.

Things were about to get worse for him then Lycanroc and Lugarugan leapt backward toward the ropes and planted their feet up against them. They then bounced off with their claws pointed outward and their bellies together, spinning like a large drill and shouting, "WOLF BAZOOKA!"

Kartana gasped and held his blades in front of his face just in time to block the incoming attack. However, this proved futile when after three seconds, the wolves managed to force his blades sideways. Thus he took the claws to his flesh as bits of paper flew into the air. Things only got worse for him when he found himself forced into Guzzlord's face, both him and the demon crying out in pain.

Once Lycanroc and Lugarugan distanced themselves, Kartana fumed and snapped, "No! I refuse to let you ruin all we have worked towards! You have no idea the kinds of hardships we had to undergo all because of our race! This is all to bring justice upon the species that made our lives on Earth a living Hell!"

Lycanroc stared briefly before sighing, "You know times have changed, right?" the samurai remarking, "Yes, I heard from Necrozma all about it, how our kind is now considered equal. But it's only because someone like us came along to protect people, not because of his personality or anything like that! As far as I'm concerned, it is far too late to forgive mankind for all that they've done!"

Lugarugan let out a sigh and groaned, "God, all your revenge talk is giving me a headache!" as he raced toward the samurai. Guzzlord readied his arms only for Lycanroc to leap up and send a hard punch into his face, shouting, "I DON'T THINK SO!"

Kartana readied his blades for a counterattack but was shocked when Lugarugan pierced them with his claws. He then smirked and said, "Your blades may be tough, but at the end of the day, they're still made of paper."

Panic filled Kartana as he tried desperately to shake his blades free. Unfortunately for him, Lugarugan held on too tightly while he lifted him up and grunted, "Try all you might, but you'll never break free!"

He then leapt into the air and flipped himself over, shouting, "MOONLIGHT DIVE!" planting the samurai's back into the canvas while Lycanroc continued to keep Guzzlord busy. She dodged an incoming strike from him and sent another punch into his fake chin, grinning and saying, "Keep it up."

But just as things looked hopeful, Lugarugan's eyes widened when he felt something go right through his chest. He looked down and noticed a blade made of paper, Kartana explaining, "That's right. The paper that builds up my body is linked to me. All those fragments you ripped off were destined to return, but not before laying vengeance upon the one who removed them in the first place."

And sure enough, the fragments separated and floated toward Kartana, soon connecting with his body. Lugarugan breathed heavily, feeling his heartbeat slowing down by the second. As such, he gritted his teeth, kept his claws in Kartana's blades and growled, "Well, then, I guess there's only one option left!"

Lycanroc and Guzzlord stopped their fight and turned toward this. They could not believe what they were seeing when Lugarugan lifted up Kartana once more and slowly carried him toward the ropes. The samurai tried his hardest to break free and spat, "NO! LET ME GO!" when the brown wolf leapt onto the top rope and quipped, "What's wrong? I thought true warriors knew when to accept defeat!"

"Lugarugan, what are you doing!?" Lycanroc snapped before Lugarugan grinned at her and said, "Look, someone like him can't be allowed to live. It's obvious he'll never turn to the side of good. But still, it was nice seeing you again. I hope you have a bright and happy future. You totes deserve it."

Guzzlord's eyes widened as he spat, "NO!" whipping out his tongue arms while Lycanroc stood there. And sure enough, Lugarugan leapt off of the rope before the hands could grab him and flipped himself upside-down, shouting, "MOONLIGHT DIVE!"

"LET ME GO!" Kartana spat while he sent various kicks into the brown wolf's chin. Lugarugan's eyes slowly drifted closed as he thought, 'I wish we could have hung out together as friends, Lycanroc. I guess it just wasn't meant to be. The old me would have been pissed off, but honestly, I'm just glad you're okay.'

And in the end, it was too late for Kartana to escape, both soon disappearing from everyone's sight. The news crew stared at this in silence while Lycanroc had tears in her eyes.

Guzzlord ran to the side of the ring Lugarugan had just leapt from and stared down at the abyss. All the while, Lycanroc covered her face with her paws and sniffed, "Why did you do that, you moron!? And just when I thought we could be friends!"

However, she would need to stop crying soon when Guzzlord turned to her with anger in his expression. He then clenched his fists and growled, "Kartana never gave up his dream of getting revenge on mankind, and I won't either! The way I see it, another one of you has been taken care of! I'll make sure you meet the same fate!"

Lycanroc bit her lower lip and got up, taking many deep breaths. As painful as it was, she would have to mourn Lugarugan's death later. He had just sacrificed himself to give her one less adversary to worry about. There was no way she would let this chance go.

As such, she wiped her tears and growled, "Just try me!" before dashing toward the demon with her arms stretched back. Guzzlord whipped out his tongue arms only for her to surround her fists with her purple wind and send them into his hands, shouting, "DOUBLE DARKNESS FIST!"

Guzzlord gasped in shock when she managed to overpower the hands. And with that, she leapt toward the demon's real head and planted her claws into his shoulders. The wind them blew around both of them as she grunted, "You may be big, but that doesn't mean I can't lift you up!"

Guzzlord was certain this would not work but was soon proven wrong when Lycanroc used all her might to lift both herself and him into the air. She then flipped one hundred and eighty degrees and shouted, "MIDNIGHT SUPLEX!"

The back of Guzzlord's head hit the canvas hard as for the first time, he coughed up blood. He then closed his eyes while Lycanroc released her hold on him and allowed him to collapse. A part of her could not believe that he been enough to finish him off, but she was satisfied.

'Well, I did it,' the wolf thought with light tears in her eyes, 'Though I'm not going to kill you, Guzzlord. I've had enough people die. I just hope that maybe someday, you'll stop trying to eat other people.'

She then looked down into the pit below and tried her hardest not to cry. After all, she doubted that Lugarugan would want his death to upset her, especially since he had gone to all this trouble to make up for what he put her through in the past.

As such, she took a seat on the mat and thought, 'I just know the others have probably won their matches too. Soon enough, this will all be over and no one else will have to suffer.'


	94. Chapter 94

While the previous two fights took place, things were certainly exciting in the forest as Crabrawler and Drampa were ready to take Scorchicken and Umbreon's place. But if two heroes as powerful as them could fall like this, who was to say the crab and dragon stood a chance?

Drampa seemed to think they did when he whispered, "This'll be easy. That Buzzwole may be tough, but he's also too full of himself to realize what he's gotten himself into."

"Right," Crabrawler replied with a sighed, "Umbreon and Scorchicken basically softened them up for us, didn't they?" the dragon giving him an odd look as he sighed, "Ever since I found my own fighting style, I haven't won a single match. This is a chance to prove that it really was worth it in the end and-"

"You think we have too unfair an advantage, right?" Drampa enquired, the crab nodding, "Look, this isn't for our own benefit. This is for the fate of the world. Besides, those two look like they still have plenty of fight in them."

Crabrawler blinked and slowly nodded his head. As strange as it was, he had to admit that Drampa had a point. He may not have had a clean record, but it seemed he was as smart as his age suggested. And with that in mind, the crab was more than ready, thus he held up a fighting stance.

"I have to admit, I'm a tad disappointed, "Buzzwole said with his arms folded behind his head, "Looking back, we probably should have faced you guys first. Necrozma briefly mentioned you, crab boy. He said you're Umbreon's partner, but you've never been able to match her level. Apparently, while she made it to the finals along with Scorchicken, you didn't even pass the first round."

"Yeah, well, neither did I but I still think I'm awesome," Drampa said with a grin before winking at Pheromosa and adding, "I've been looking forward to this."

The cockroach's eye twitched until she turned to Buzzwole and cooed, "I think that's enough talking, honey. Let's just kill them right now," the mosquito nodding and replying, "But of course, darling. Anything for you."

With that in mind, he spread out his wings and flew toward Drampa. As much as he would have much rather fought Crabrawler, who he saw as a more worthy foe, he refused to allow his beloved to make contact with someone so creepy and old.

All the while, Pheromosa performed a few somersaults toward Crabrawler and aimed a flying kick toward his skull. He refused to let this land and as such, he leapt up just in time to avoid it, shouting, "CRAB KICKS!"

He sent a volley of rapid kicks into the cockroach's upper body as she gasped in pain. The attack alone was already powerful enough, but combined with the amount of damage Scorchicken and Umbreon had dealt to her earlier, it was even worse. And soon enough, the crab was mounted on top of her while she lay on her back.

Buzzwole, meanwhile, planted his elbow hard into Drampa's gut. However, the dragon ignored this and grunted, "I may be old, but I'm something to behold!" before latching onto the arm. He then sent a knee kick into the mosquito's leg, his eyes wide with shock.

He received a few more and thought, 'Why do these hurt so much!?' while Drampa proceeded to wrap his neck around his upper body and his tail around his legs, shouting, "SERPENT CONSTRICTION!"

Buzzwole could not believe how much this hurt. As if that was not enough, despite his incredible strength, he was actually having trouble breaking free. Drampa grinned wickedly at him and said, "As you can see, I'm a lot stronger than my age would dictate. In fact, back in my hometown, I was a champion wrestler."

All the while, Pheromosa struggled to free herself while Crabrawler clenched his fists, growling, "I'm sorry, but if I let you win, it'll render all of Umbreon's hard work meaningless!"

The cockroach gazed into his eyes and sighed, "I understand, but surely you wouldn't hurt someone so pretty and delicate," before winking and adding in a seductive tone, "Insect Charm."

Unlike Togedemaru, Crabrawler had no reaction to this. Thus he sent a hard punch into her face followed by a rapid barrage, the cockroach groaning in pain. She had never once met a male who could resist her feminine wiles and yet here she was receiving punishment from such a guy.

'Handicap or not, I'll still feel good if this ends up being my first real win,' Crabrawler thought with a serious look in his eyes, 'Relying on my parents' abilities always made me exhausted. No more will that happen.'

Buzzwole saw this and fumed, growling, "You have no idea who you're messing with! I'm far too powerful to be beaten by an old fogey! BULK UP!" and thus he focused as hard as he could, Drampa's eyes widening when he felt the mosquito's muscles expand slightly.

This was all Buzzwole needed, thus Drampa's hold on him started to loosen. As such, he spread his arms out and forced the dragon off of him. He then sent a hard punch into his face before flying toward him with his arm out, striking his neck hard with the clothesline.

Drampa coughed up blood, wheezed and fell on his back. Buzzwole blinked and said, "It seems as if you can bring a lot of pain but can't take it. That just further proves how much better I am."

He then turned toward Crabrawler and was slightly relieved to see Pheromosa come to her senses and whip her hair in front of her face, shouting, "LOVER'S SHIELD!"

Crabrawler refused to let this get to him, even closing his eyes in time to avoid being blinded by a bright light that shone from it. He continued his assault and grunted, "Don't think that's enough! I'll break through that shield of yours!"

"Not on my watch!" Buzzwole spat, the crab turning to him with his eyes wide with terror. And sure enough, he took in a hard punch to the face as the mosquito wrapped his arms around him. He then lifted the crab up and leaned backward, planting the back of his head into the canvas.

Pheromosa rose to her feet and breathed a sigh of relief. Buzzwole rubbed her shoulders lightly and asked, "Are you okay, dear?" the cockroach nodding with a light smile and stroking his chin, saying, "Oh, sweetie, of course I am. Especially when I have a wonderful, hunky boyfriend like you."

Crabrawler sprang to his feet and thought, 'He really is as tough as he looks,' before running over to Drampa and asking, "You alright?"

Drampa slowly opened his eyes, his vision blurry while he uttered, "Oh, yes, beautiful slime girl," only for his vision to return completely as he groaned, "Oh, right, Pheromosa's the only conscious hotty in this area," Crabrawler slapping his forehead.

He then helped the dragon up and said, "Either way, it would seem this match won't be so easy after all. Here I thought I had an unfair advantage, but they still have plenty of power."

The dragon nodded and replied, "True, but so do we. We may not have as great of a reputation as those girls do, but that doesn't mean we can't still pack a punch."

With that in mind, both raced toward Buzzwole and Pheromosa. However, both were fully prepared now when the mosquito lifted up Pheromosa by her ankles and swung her into the duo, both shouting, "LOVER'S BO STAFF!"

While Drampa flew backward, Crabrawler managed to ignore the pain and grab hold of the cockroach. However, it seemed Buzzwole was more than ready for this when he used all his might to lift both his girlfriend and the crab into the air. He then swung them around until Crabrawler released his hold and flew back-first into the turnbuckle.

"Are you still hanging in there, honey?" he enquired, Pheromosa smiling and replying, "You know I've never been dizzy before in my life. If anything, it's my opponents who get dizzy when they fight me."

Buzzwole laughed and said, "But of course. You're just so amazing," before lifting her up again as Crabrawler and Drampa started to recover. With that, he held Pheromosa in the middle and threw her toward Crabrawler, shouting, "INSECT JAVELIN!"

Just as the crab was about to take in the hit, Drampa immediately flew in front of him, shouting, "SERPENT PURSUIT!" and thus he was the one who took the hit while he winced slightly.

"Drampa?" Crabrawler uttered, his eyes wide with shock until he noticed the dragon ignore the pain and wrap his tail and neck around Pheromosa, shouting, "SERPENT CONSTRICTION!"

The dragon had the creepiest smile on his face as he said, "I knew you couldn't avoid me forever," Pheromosa's eye twitching before she whined, "Buzzwole, save me!" Crabrawler sighing and shaking his head.

When he saw the mosquito flying toward them, he immediately leapt over the dragon and cockroach and sent a hard punch into his forehead. And with Buzzwole distracted, he sent a barrage of rapid punches into his gut followed by a fierce uppercut to his chin. Pheromosa's eyes widened as she gasped, "Honey Bunch!"

She tried her hardest to break free only for Drampa to tighten his hold, saying, "Don't think I'm gonna release you just yet," only for Pheromosa to sigh, "I didn't want to do this, but you leave me with no other choice."

As such, she winked at him just like she did to Crabrawler earlier. She then added to her charm by giving him a peck on the cheek, much to her own dismay. However, it seemed her technique had worked too well when hearts formed in Drampa's eyes and he shouted, "OH, MAMA, GIVE ME SOME MORE OF THAT SUGAR!" his hold tightening even more.

"Help me!" Pheromosa wined while Buzzwole ignored the pain from another one of Crabrawler's punches. His eyes widened as he spat, "YOU LET GO OF HER, YOU CREEP!"

With that, he cupped his hands together into a big fist and rammed them hard into Crabrawler's face. This provided just enough of a distraction for the mosquito to fly toward Drampa. But when he closed in, the dragon smirked and leapt into the air, flipping himself upside-down and shouting, "CONSTRICTION SUPLEX!"

Buzzwole's eyes widened when Pheromosa's skull made contact with the back of his neck. As a result, both gasped in pain while Drampa finally released his hold on the cockroach and allowed her to collapse. Crabrawler stared in shock as the dragon gave him a thumb up, saying, "Don't worry, my head's still in the game."

The crab breathed a sigh of relief while Buzzwole and Pheromosa pushed themselves up. The mosquito asked, "How badly did he hurt you? I'll make him pay!" only for the dragon to sigh, "Oh my god, for someone who builds himself up like an Adonis, you're pathetic."

The mosquito's eyes twitched while he glared and retorted, "What did you say about me!?" the dragon barking, "You heard me! Seriously, your girlfriend there constantly flirts with other guys! You know for a fact that if you manage to take over Earth, she'll build herself a harem of male slaves, and yet you seem perfectly fine with that!"

Buzzwole was about to retort but then turned to face Pheromosa. She tensed up as Crabrawler nodded and added, "Yes, I hate to say it, but I don't know what you see in her. I don't even think Pheromosa really loves you."

The mosquito narrowed his eyelids and glared at the cockroach, asking, "Is this true? Am I nothing more than a tool for your own selfish benefit?"

Pheromosa shook her head and replied, "Of course not." And unfortunately for Crabrawler and Drampa, this was all Buzzwole needed, thus he sighed, "What was I thinking? Of course I, the mighty Buzzwole, wouldn't choose the wrong mate! I see what you guys were trying to do! You were trying to turn me against my true love!"

He then narrowed his eyelids and growled, "That makes me mad!" Pheromosa nodding and adding, "Me too! For a second there, I was frightened!" the mosquito rubbing her shoulder.

"Oh fiddlesticks!" Drampa groaned, "I really thought that would work!" Crabrawler adding, "You know, I actually wouldn't be surprised if we were right about that."

Either way, with Buzzwole even more determined to knock them out than before, they would certainly need to be on high alert. He once again lifted up Pheromosa by the legs and said, "I think it's time to up our game, eh?"

The cockroach nodded, whipped her hair forward and hardened it so it resembled a spearhead. Buzzwole then flew toward the others and shouted, "LOVER'S SPEAR!" swinging her sideways and putting a cut in each hero's chest. Crabrawler did not take in too much pain due to his outer shell, but Drampa was in considerable pain as blood flew out of him and he fell on his back.

"Are you alright!?" the crab gasped only for Buzzwole to let go of Pheromosa and latch onto his shoulders from behind. He then flew into the air and leaned backward, once again slamming the back of Crabrawler's head into the canvas.

"Another thing that makes me superior to you is that I'm not dumb enough to turn my back to my opponent!" he exclaimed while Pheromosa leapt toward Drampa and shouted, "BUTTERFLY BARRAGE!" sending rapid kicks into his gut.

Buzzwole watched this and asked, "Do you want me to take over?" Pheromosa remarking, "No! He violated me and gave me a reason to kiss him! I want to make him suffer just as much as you do!"

"That's my girl," the mosquito sighed before noticing Crabrawler start to push himself up. As such, he flew toward him and rammed his elbow into his face. However, Crabrawler refused to let himself fall again, thus he ignored the pain and sent a hard punch into Buzzwole's cheek.

Unfortunately, just like Crabrawler, Buzzwole refused to let himself be distracted again. As such, he retaliated with a hard punch of his own. The crab gritted his teeth and retaliated with an onslaught, the mosquito taking in three hits before doing the same. However, he was shocked when he found himself taking in much more hits. While he may have been physically stronger, Crabrawler was faster.

As if that was not enough, Drampa seemed to finally ignore Pheromosa's kicks as he smiled and took hold of her ankles. Her eyes widened when he rose to his feet and threw his arms downward, slamming her back into the canvas. He then winced and thought, 'Damn, those kicks were strong. I can't let her get the better of me again.'

With that in mind, the dragon shouted, "SERPENT PURSUIT!" and flew toward Pheromosa, ramming his snout into her chest and sending her flying into Buzzwole's back. And with him even more distracted, Crabrawler smirked and sent one last punch into his face, causing him to falter back, trip over Pheromosa and land on his back.

"Are you okay?" the cockroach whimpered when she slowly rose to her feet, the mosquito grunting, "I should be fine. You know me. I'm too awesome to let a few good hits get me down."

Crabrawler and Drampa kept their distance from the villains for the time being as the dragon asked, "Hey, why didn't you use your Power Up Punch?"

"What?" the crab remarked, the dragon stating, "Don't forget, I saw your match with Bewear and I remember you using a move that involved you expanding the size of your fist. Why didn't you use that back there? It would have been more effective."

Crabrawler sighed, "You remember what happened the last time I tried it, right?" the dragon nodding and replying, "Yeah, Fini cut your hand o-" his eyes widening as he uttered, "Oh, you can't use it anymore, can you?"

Crabrawler nodded and sighed, "It was an ability passed down from Grandma Clauncher. She had a similar ability that involved her expanding her right claw. Now that my hand has been cut off once, I can no longer use the technique."

Drampa nodded and replied, "Well, I guess it's alright. You've been doing an awesome job without it," the crab's eyes widening while he slowly nodded his head and replied, "You're right. I have, haven't I?" a light smile on his face.

Buzzwole fumed and snapped, "HEY, DON'T LOOK LIKE YOU'VE ALREADY WON! You may have pulled off a few miracles, but you're still nowhere near my level! You can hit me all you like, but I'll never submit! None of the other so-called heroes who fought us won, not even the world champion and the runner-up! What chance do you have!?"

Crabrawler let out a sigh and nodded at Drampa, saying, "They've been combining their powers constantly throughout this match. I think it's high time we do the same, don't you?"

The dragon smirked and replied, "I thought you'd never ask," kneeling down, "Climb onto my back. I'd ask you to jump on, but as you've seen, I can dish out more pain than I can actually take."

Crabrawler nodded and did just that only for Buzzwole to lift up Pheromosa by the ankles again, growling, "Whatever you have planned, it's not going to work!"

The cockroach once again flung her hair forward, this time creating two blades as the mosquito flew toward the duo and shouted, "LOVER'S FLYING PITCHFORK!"

But when he closed in, Drampa leapt forward and said, "Hold your fists out," Crabrawler nodding and doing just that as the two shouted, "SERPENT ROCKET!" the crab's fists hitting Buzzwole in the face.

The mosquito groaned in pain and released his hold on Pheromosa. With that, Crabrawler leapt off of Drampa and landed behind her, wrapping his arms around her. The dragon adding to this by latching onto her, the two shouting, "FLYING SERPENT DRIVER!" the back of the cockroach's head hitting the canvas hard as she coughed up blood.

Both heroes released their hold and gave each other a high five, Crabrawler saying, "I have to admit, that was awesome," Drampa nodding and replying, "Yeah. Didn't think I'd make for such a great ally, did you?"

Buzzwole and Pheromosa both recovered with looks off irritation. Neither could believe how hard this was for them. So far, these two seemed to be more of a threat than Umbreon and Scorchicken.

Drampa and Crabrawler raced toward them again, but this time they were ready. As such, Pheromosa flipped her hair in front of her as the two shouted, "LOVER'S SHIELD!" Buzzwole holding her up like the object in question.

Drampa was more than ready for this, though, when he shouted, "RANCID BREATH!" releasing dark fumes from his gums. But surprisingly enough, neither bug reacted to this, Buzzwole scoffing, "Please, bad smells are nothing to us."

As such, a bright light shone from Pheromosa, thus Crabrawler and Drampa were blinded. This lasted just long enough for Buzzwole and lift up the cockroach again and swing her at them, putting big cuts on their chests.

The mosquito let go of Pheromosa before leaping into the air and planting his elbow into Crabrawler's gut. Pheromosa followed it up with a drop kick to Drampa before both backed up, the mosquito growling, "You should know better than to try bad smells against bugs! Don't you know we and garbage go hand-in-hand?"

He then leapt up and planted his knee into Drampa's gut, causing him to cough up blood. He placed a firm grip on his shoulders and growled, "You disgust me, old-timer! You've lived for far too long!" aiming his proboscis toward his neck.

All the while, Pheromosa leapt toward Crabrawler and shouted, "BUTTERFLY BARRAGE!" She then unleashed an onslaught of rapid kicks into his face, saying, "End his life, honey."

Buzzwole nodded and was now ready to drain Drampa of his blood and end it all. Was this really it for the elderly dragon or could he pull off another miracle?


	95. Chapter 95

While Crabrawler and Drampa had performed far better against Buzzwole and Pheromosa than even they thought they would, it seemed as if it was finally over. The crab was at the cockroach's mercy right now and the dragon was seconds away from death.

"LEECH LIFE!" Buzzwole shouted as he leaned inward. And sure enough, he managed to jab his proboscis into Drampa's neck, thus he started to inhale.

"NO!" Crabrawler shouted before taking another kick to his face. He gritted his teeth and lifted up his arms, taking hold of Pheromosa's ankles, ending her assault. But just as he was about to hurl her toward Buzzwole, he and the cockroach were shocked to hear not agony but laughter from Drampa.

"Hey, keep it up," he said with a smug look, Buzzwole looking desperate while sucking as hard as he could, "Oh, I think you almost got some that time!"

Buzzwole kept at it until Drampa sighed, "Alright, I'm bored," before sending his knee into the mosquito's gut. As such, he retracted his proboscis and backed up slightly, a look of terror in his eyes.

Pheromosa gasped and wriggled free from Crabrawler's grip. As such, he was able to get up as he stared at Drampa and asked, "Why wasn't he able to get any blood from you? I've seen you bleed throughout this match."

"Well, that's true," the dragon replied, "But look at this wound from earlier," pointing at the cut on his chest to reveal that there were significantly fewer blood stains than there were on Crabrawler's chest, "You were in the hospital when I fought Eevee, so you probably haven't heard of my past."

"I did hear that you were a wanted sex offender back in the day," Crabrawler remarked Pheromosa tensing up and groaning, "Ew! Now he scares me even more!" even Buzzwole having trouble taking this in.

"It's true," Drampa replied, "I was punished severely for that. A witch turned me into a ghost and bound me to a stone, and I was stuck like that for more than forty years. And keep in mind, I didn't eat or drink at all during that time. I still have a little blood in me, but thanks to the witch's spell, I mostly live on ghostly air, which you can't consume, right, Buzzwole, old buddy, old pal?"

The mosquito tensed up and clenched his fists, growling, "So that means I can't kill you!" Pheromosa even more terrified. She would have never imagined Drampa could be creepier than he already was.

This caused her to panic as she leapt toward Drampa and spat, "WELL, IF YOU WON'T DIE, THEN I'LL JUST CRIPPLE YOU PERMANENTLY!" sending a barrage of rapid kicks all over his body. However, he ignored this and took hold of her legs, saying, "You don't have to worry. You may be pretty, but I think I've lost interest in you."

The cockroach felt strangely offended by this while he crossed her legs and swung her downward, her back hitting the canvas hard. Buzzwole frowned and flew toward the dragon only for Crabrawler to jump toward him and send another hard punch into his face.

This time, the mosquito refused to let this get to him as he latched onto the crab's arms and locked them in place. He then aimed his proboscis toward his neck and growled, "I've waited long enough for this! If I can't kill that creepy dragon, then I'll kill you instead!"

Seeing this, Pheromosa smiled and thought, 'If he's going to finish his target off, I shall do the same,' propelling herself up and planting her heels into Drampa's chin. She then wrapped her arms around him and said, "I've never been able to use a move like this before, but you're light enough for this to work on."

Drampa smirked and remarked, "I wouldn't recommend it, but may as well take advantage of this," before opening his mouth wide while black and brown cavity-filled fangs emerged from his gums. He planted them into Pheromosa's shoulder and shouted, "ELDER FANGS!" as she groaned in disgust.

With that, she leapt into the air and shifted her hair so the ends were pointed at Drampa's back. She then drove them into that exact spot and shouted, "COCKROACH SUPLEX!"

The fumes from Drampa's teeth were taking a toll on her, but she ignored this and leaned backward, planting his skull hard into the canvas. This was all she needed to get him to release his hold. But when she flipped back up, her eyes started to sag as she felt her shoulder and groaned, "What did you do to me?"

Her eyes widened with terror when the elderly dragon was still able to stand. He grinned creepily at her and said, "Those fangs of mine are a result of poor dental care. As such, they've become quite deadly. Though honestly, that shouldn't have been enough to finish you off. I think you made a big mistake when you thought you could pull off a suplex."

Pheromosa breathed heavily and fell to her knees, her hands against the canvas. And sure enough, she closed her eyes and fell forward, her chin hitting the canvas hard.

Upon hearing her groans of agony, Buzzwole's eyes widened as he let go of Crabrawler and flew toward her. He then cradled her shoulders and asked, "Honey, are you okay?"

The cockroach looked at him weakly and uttered, "I can't move the rest of my body anymore. You still need to fill up three more of your sacs to regain full power, correct?"

The mosquito nodded and replied, "Yes. I was just about to-" only for the cockroach to tilt her head sideways and suggest, "Drink as much as you need. I want those two to suffer."

"But-" Buzzwole gasped before the cockroach gave him a sweet smile and added, "They don't think I love you, but I do. I'll risk my life if it means we can finally achieve our dream of world domination."

The mosquito took a deep breath as Crabrawler dashed toward him and spat, "NO! I WON'T LET YOU!" only to receive a hard punch to his cheek. Thus he flew backward into the turnbuckle, Drampa feeling a touch weak from Pheromosa's suplex. As such, he was unable to help out for the time being.

With that, Buzzwole let down light tears and planted his proboscis into Pheromosa's neck. She let out a light gasp and closed her eyes while her body started to shrivel like a prune. It seemed as if she had a lot more blood than a typical hero or villain as this was just enough to fill up Buzzwole's remaining sacs.

Once that was done, he released his hold and set her down with tears in his eyes. However, his spirits lifted when he heard light breathing from Pheromosa. He then placed his head up against her chest and sure enough, he felt a heartbeat.

"Oh my god!" he shouted while Crabrawler and Drampa both stared in horror. The mosquito flexed his muscles and added, "Not only do I have full power, but I didn't have to kill my girlfriend to obtain it! I'm incredible!"

A part of Crabrawler was relieved that no one had to die, but one could only guess how much stronger Buzzwole was now. He gently lifted Pheromosa up and carried her to the side of the ring. He then rested her against it and said, "I'll defeat them both for us."

He then glared at Drampa and growled, "And I'll start with you! As if your creepy behaviour isn't bad enough, the fact that you knocked out my beloved is unforgivable!" the dragon uttering, "Hey, I'm not the one who left her with little to no blood."

This retort only angered the mosquito more as he flew toward Drampa only for Crabrawler to leap toward him from behind and shout, "CRAB KICKS!" sending an onslaught of said moves into his back.

Buzzwole ignored this and swung himself around, ramming his arm into the crab's ribcage and knocking him on his side. His eyes sparkled when he looked at his muscles and said, "It's been so long since I had this much power. It's truly amazing."

Drampa panicked and finally regained just enough energy. As such, he flew toward the mosquito and shouted, "SERPENT PURSUIT!" ramming his snout into his gut.

His eyes widened when Buzzwole ignored the pain dealt by this and took hold of the dragon's head. He then flipped him over so his legs and tail were pointed high into the air. After that, he shifted his arms up to the dragon's hips and rammed his back into the canvas.

Drampa gasped in pain and closed his eyes, using his last ounce of strength to groan, "The rest is up to you, Crabrawler."

And with all said and done, he was out cold. Buzzwole released his hold and allowed Drampa to collapse as the crab stared in horror. While the mosquito had taken in a lot of damage up to this point, who was to say he could be beaten in this state?

"I have to admit, you two were a lot tougher to beat than I thought you'd be," Buzzwole grunted, "But even so, you were all doomed to fall to my might eventually. All those times you hit me and got up, you were just delaying the inevitable."

Crabrawler narrowed his eyelids and thought, 'Don't worry, Drampa. Even with his boost in strength, I'll be sure to wipe that smug look off of his face.'

He waited as Buzzwole flew toward him. And once he was close enough, the crab leapt into the air with his fists above his head. He then sent them crashing down into the mosquito's back. Buzzwole winced slightly but showed little reaction before he once again spun his body around and rammed his fist into Crabrawler's side.

"Your punches may have been tough before, but now that I'm at maximum power, you don't stand a chance," Buzzwole stated as he struck Crabrawler in the gut with his hands cupped together into one big fist.

The mosquito then mounted himself onto the crab and sent a hard punch into his face. He followed it up with a barrage, and while these punches were nowhere near as fast as Crabrawler's, they were much more powerful.

"Like I said, you were doomed from the start!" Buzzwole exclaimed while Crabrawler's eyelids lowered. He then let out a groan and thought, 'I'm sorry, Umbreon. He's just too strong.'

He then closed his eyes when Buzzwole ended his assault and got up, saying, "There. Now you're finished. I was going to drink your blood, but honestly, you're not even worth it anymore."

While Crabrawler lay there, he saw Umbreon stand before him in his mind. Seeing her there, he lowered his head and sighed, "I'm really sorry. I guess all this time, I was never really worthy of being on this team, was I?"

The black fox shook her head and remarked, "No. I've always seen you as a worthy ally. You may not be a perfect fighter, but I know you're strong enough to win this match."

"Are you kidding!?" the crab retorted, "Have you seen his strength!? I can barely harm him now!"

Umbreon frowned and marched over to him before slapping him across the face. He rubbed his cheek as she placed a firm grip against his shoulders and snapped, "Come on! The Crabrawler I know is no quitter! Now get back up and show Buzzwole just how much of a badass you really are!"

Back in the real world, Buzzwole flexed to the cameras that had been set up by the news crew and exclaimed, "Hey, world, take a look at your new ruler! Once Pheromosa gets her strength back, you'll bow down to both of us!"

His eyes widened, though, when he heard a certain British voice retort, "You say that as if you've already won!" the mosquito slowly turning to see that Crabrawler had, indeed, managed to rise back to his feet. He breathed heavily while both of his eyelids were half-closed as opposed to just the left one, but the fact that he had managed to recover after all that he had succumbed to during the match left Buzzwole spellbound.

Before the mosquito could respond, though, the crab leapt toward him and planted a hard punch into his skull. He then unleashed a barrage of uppercuts to his chin and shouted, "I won't let all of our efforts be in vain! You can increase you strength as much as possible, but it won't be enough! After all, I'm Umbreon's partner!"

With that, he managed to expand his left claw as he spat, "POWER UP PUNCH!" sending it hard into Buzzwole's gut, his eyes wide with shock. But that look soon turned to happiness when he realized this was just the miracle he needed.

As if the pain inflicted by this was not shocking enough, the mosquito's eyes widened with terror when he noticed a good amount of blood fly out of his proboscis. As such, one of his sacs was now empty as Crabrawler smirked and unloaded more and more punches. And sure enough, another sac was half-empty when Buzzwole started to ignore the pain and took hold of Crabrawler's wrists.

"I don't know how you did that, but it's gonna stop right now!" he snapped as he leaned backward and planted the back of crab's head into the canvas.

Crabrawler ignored the pain and propelled himself into the air, ramming his lower body into Buzzwole's back. He then cupped his fists together and sent them into the back of his head, once again drawing blood while he thought, 'Of course. Now that I've finally drawn blood from him, he can't keep it contained. That means all I have to do is keep whaling on him and he'll eventually lose all of it.'

He then gazed upon the side of the ring where the girls were all passed out as his mind added, 'I almost feel bad rendering Pheromosa's sacrifice pointless, but it's for the greater good.'

With that in mind, he expanded his left fist just in time for Buzzwole to turn around and face him. He then spat, "POWER UP PUNCH!" and sent it hard into the mosquito's gut for the second time. Thus he managed to draw out enough blood so that only four of his sacs were full now.

"You know what?" Crabrawler quipped, "I think that's good enough. It's high time I finally put an end to this."

With that in mind, he rushed toward Buzzwole and rammed his antennae into his chest. The mosquito's eyes widened as he stared down in disbelief. As if coughing up blood was not unexpected enough, the fact that he had just been cut open was beyond his comprehension.

He remembered back in the day, people would strike him with arrows and swords in an attempt to stop him, and yet not once did those implements ever manage to hurt him. And yet somehow, Crabrawler's antennae had managed to do just that. For the first time in his life, Buzzwole felt a lack of confidence.

"Against humans, I was practically a god," he uttered, "And yet against others like me, I'm not. Maybe I'm not the amazing fighter I thought I was."

"No," Crabrawler remarked as he latched onto his shoulders and leapt into the air, "With how hard it was for all four of us to defeat you, I can say with the utmost honesty that you are an amazing fighter. But like all of us, that doesn't make you invincible."

He then leaned backward and shouted, "CRAB BLADE SUPLEX!" the back of Buzzwole's head hitting the canvas hard as he coughed up one last bit of blood. Now he was back to only three full sacs, but this hardly mattered when he closed his eyes.

Crabrawler released his hold and allowed the mosquito to collapse while breathing heavily. He then smiled and thought, 'I did it, Umbreon. I defeated a powerful adversary using nothing but my own abilities.'

His eyes widened when he heard Buzzwole groan. However, when he turned, he noticed that while the mosquito was still awake, he could no longer move his body.

"I have to say, you may have had a bit of help, but you were still an incredible opponent," he stated with an implied smile, "You and that fogey. I can't believe how tough you two were. You brought me to my limit and still won."

Crabrawler let out a sigh and said, "You know, it's a real shame. If you were on the side of good, I think the world would be lucky to have you," the mosquito groaning, "That can't happen. This world is an unfair place."

"Not as much as it used to be," Crabrawler remarked, "See, while it's true that humans mostly started to trust us better because of what Pikachu did, there are many nowadays who see us as friends. There was a hero back in the day that my Mom and Dad knew who thought just like you did. She, too, was sealed in stone for many years, so when she was revived, she still thought the world was judgemental and cruel. But when she learned the truth, she became good friends with every human she met."

Buzzwole blinked and enquired, "Do you think we might have a chance?" as Crabrawler replied, "Positive. Trust me, villains becoming good is super common these days."

The mosquito closed his eyes and said, "I'll have to talk it over with Pheromosa, but that sounds like a good idea."

And with that, he drifted off to sleep as things were really looking up. But how had the others performed during this time? While almost all of the ultra beasts had been defeated, there was still Necrozma and his allies, and unlike Buzzwole, it was highly unlikely they would turn to the side of good.


	96. Chapter 96

During the second set of matches, it seemed things really were looking up for the citizens of Earth. A couple of heroes had fallen, but Nihilego was the only ultra beast left standing. But this did not change the fact that Necrozma and his allies still remained. And on Diamond head, the crystal man was more than ready to face Caterpie.

The caterpillar narrowed his eyelids and thought, 'Okay, there's a very high chance I'm gonna die in this match, but dammit, I'll go down doing my absolute best! The others wouldn't submit under pressure and now that I don't suck, neither will I!'

Necrozma implied a smile with his eyes and said, "You know, Caterpie, I have to admit, long ago, I would have had no interest in fighting you. I heard all about how pretentious you were, how in a grand total of three fights, you only managed to ever land one blow."

"Thanks for reminding me," Caterpie groaned before the crystal man continued, "However, hearing of your recent accomplishments intrigued me greatly. I heard about how you won the first round of the Hero Olympics, how you provided Scorchicken with a real challenge not to mention you actually defeated a member of the Tapu family. You are definitely worth the time and effort."

The caterpillar blinked and replied, "Well, thanks, I guess," rubbing the back of his head with a nervous laugh only for Necrozma to add, "I still don't see you besting me in combat, but at least now your inevitable defeat will feel satisfying."

Caterpie narrowed his eyelids and sighed. He could not allow Necrozma to get to him. And with that in mind, he whipped out his string and latched it to Necrozma's chest. The crystal man stared at this while the caterpillar reeled himself toward him, shouting, "STRINGSHOT ASTEROID!"

However, he was caught off guard when Necrozma swung his wrist crystal downward and cut the string open, exclaiming, "CRYSTAL SWORD!"

Caterpie lost focus as a result and fell forward, his chin hitting the canvas. Necrozma then leapt into the air with his right fist raised and sent it crashing down into the caterpillar's back. Magearna smiled lightly and sighed with relief. It seemed as if this match might be over with quickly after all.

"This is the amazing power that gave you your reputation?" Necrozma asked tauntingly as he lifted Caterpie up, "String!? How the hell did you manage to defeat two opponents with this!?"

He then slammed Caterpie back into the mat and kept his grip on him. He lifted him up and flung him hard into the turnbuckle, the news crew looking nervous. If Caterpie could not make use of his Stringshot, he was doomed.

But just as Necrozma was ready to unleash more upon the caterpillar, both of them along with Magearna were shocked when a space shuttle crash-landed just a few feet from the ring. All three turned to face it as a certain chrysalis emerged from the rubble and groaned, "And here I thought I wasn't going too fast."

Caterpie stared for a few seconds before uttering, "Dad, what are you doing here?" Magearna gasping, "Oh my goodness! Is that Hero Planet's chairman!?"

"He sure is," Necrozma stated with his arms folded, "And I agree with your son here. Shouldn't you be back up on Hero Planet in your office?"

Metapod shook dirt off of him and retorted, "No way! I can't just sit behind a desk when the world's at stake! Many years ago, my dad got rid of the rule preventing chairmen from fighting evil and I fully intend to take advantage of that!"

Caterpie stared in stunned silence when the chrysalis turned to him and added, "That's right, son. I've come to fight evil alongside you, just like I used to do back in the glory days! And you'd all better watch out! I may be in my fourties, but I can still kick ass!"

Necrozma and even Magearna shared Caterpie's reaction to this. Even they could not believe what they had just heard. But while the cyborg looked nervous about this, Necrozma implied a smirk and started to snicker.

Metapod noticed his body twitching and asked, "What's wrong? Scared?" only for that snicker to grow into heavy laughter, the crystal man pointing and shouting, "Oh my god! You're serious about this!"

"Yeah, and?" Metapod uttered as Necrozma calmed down and sighed, "Look, you might have been decent in your time, but come on. You sound like an old man going through a midlife crisis. I'd feel bad whaling on you, so I'll let you go if you forget about this dumb notion that you can somehow beat us."

Metapod narrowed his eyelids and retorted, "I'm not going to stand back and let my son deal with this alone!" Caterpie shaking his head and retorting, "Look, back in the day, I would have loved for you to acknowledge that I wasn't a perfect fighter and needed help, but seriously, Dad, I'd rather you not risk your life! These guys can kill you!"

Metapod let out a sigh and leapt into the ring, saying, "Look, son, trust me, I can do this. And even if I can't, I'd rather go down doing my best to help the world than sit back while everyone else is fighting these tough battles. Besides, being an adult doesn't automatically make me too weak for this. Look at Drampa. The guy's almost one hundred years old and yet he came really close to beating Eevee."

Caterpie was about to explain how he had used fear and manipulation to accomplish all of that until the chrysalis added, "Besides, back in my father's day, a hero in her fifties by the name of Psyla fought Tyranitar, a villain who was much stronger than her. Do you know how that match ended?"

The caterpillar tapped his chin and replied, "That's right. You told me that story. She won, didn't she?" Necrozma and Magearna both shocked to hear this.

Metapod nodded and said, "Exactly. Plus there was also the time Giratina helped Machop defeat Yveltal and Xerneas in his eighties," the crystal man saying, "Okay, that I have heard of."

Hearing all of this made Magearna tense up as the chrysalis added, "That's why I'm confident that I can do this, son. I may not be as strong as I was in my heyday, but I can still help you out. I just know it."

Caterpie realized there was no use arguing. As such, he let out a sigh and said, "Well, to be fair, I could use some help right now," Magearna hesitating. But after a few seconds, she entered the ring, Necrozma turning to face her.

"What?" she asked before he uttered, "Normally I'd have to tell you to assist me first."

The cyborg nodded and replied, "Yes, that is true. I wouldn't even fight at all if I had a choice, but if what the chairman just said is true, I feel like you might need my help for this. Who knows how strong this guy really is, right?"

Necrozma stroked his chin and replied, "Personally, I don't think I really need it, but I admire your dedication. Alright, let's take these two down together. I doubt it will take long."

Metapod held up a defensive stance and whispered, "Yeah, it won't take long because we'll beat them in seconds, right?" Caterpie shaking his head and letting out a sigh. It was just like he mentally told himself earlier. He would need to be tough and see this fight through to the end no matter what.

But before either could come up with a plan, Necrozma knelt down with a light surrounding his body and shouted, "PRISMATIC LASER!" racing toward the two just like a beam.

Metapod's eyes widened as he and Caterpie dodged to the side just in time to avoid the full blunt of the move. But while they had managed to pull that off, each one still took in a light graze to the side. And it only got worse since when Necrozma stopped moving, he spread out his arms and took hold of both of them, spinning around on his tip-toes while the same light made him look more like a twister.

"PRISMATIC TORNADO SHOOTER!" he exclaimed while he released his hold on both and sent Metapod careening into the southeast turnbuckle while Caterpie flew into the northwest one.

Magearna saw a good opportunity to add to this since the caterpillar was much closer to her. As such, she leapt toward him and sent a hard kick into his gut as he winced in pain. And of course, when Metapod saw this, he would not stand for it.

With that in mind, he reached his arms back and took hold of the turnbuckle he had just hit. He then lifted himself up and swung around the pole like a horseshoe. Once he felt like he had built up enough momentum, he launched himself off and spun toward the cyborg, shouting, "COCOONERANG!"

Magearna was just about to land another strike when the chrysalis struck her hard in the back of the head. Necrozma stared in shock and spat, "What!?" while Metapod bounced off of her and flew into his chin. As if taking in the hit was not surprising enough, he could not believe how strong this was as he backed up lightly and rubbed the spot that had been hit.

Metapod soon landed in the middle of the ring with his arms up and shouted, "Ta-dah!" before turning toward the crystal man and tauntingly asking, "You didn't think a couple of good hits would be enough to knock me out, did you?"

Caterpie was just as shocked as the villains while Necrozma clenched his fists in irritation and retorted, "As a matter of fact, I did! It's a known fact that you guys aren't strong enough to take us on! Besides, you probably haven't trained in years! You shouldn't even be able to hurt us!"

Metapod smirked and retorted, "Look, I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm a chrysalis. That means that no matter how old I get, my body is always super hard, just like yours."

Necrozma was about to retort to that, but he had to admit Metapod had a point. If anything, he might have very well been the perfect opponent for him and Magearna. And all the while, the cyborg trembled while Caterpie stared at his father in admiration. He had expected his help to be meaningless, but in the end, he could not have asked for a better partner.

With that in mind, he whipped out his string and latched it to the back of Magearna's head while she was distracted. She gasped as he reeled himself toward her and shouted, "STRINGSHOT ASTEROID!" ramming his skull hard into the back of her neck.

Necrozma turned to her, shocked to see her take in considerable pain from this. And things only got worse for her when Caterpie landed behind her with his silk still attached and swung her sideways, barking, "STRINGSHOT SWING!"

He then rammed her into the turnbuckle while Metapod flung himself toward Necrozma and struck his side while he was distracted. The crystal man could not believe this. Things looked so easy at first, and yet a forty-year-old chrysalis seemed to have turned everything around.

Soon enough, Caterpie and Metapod distanced themselves from the villains as the caterpillar turned to his father and uttered, "Wow, Dad, you're amazing."

Metapod nodded with a big smile and replied, "Yep. It's like I said earlier, not all of us past-gen fighters have weakened with age. I'm not sure how well Dad would have done when he was in his forties, but, well, I'm made of a harder substance."

Necrozma rubbed his side and faced Magearna, asking, "Are you alright?" the cyborg nodding and lightly and replying, "I'll be fine. I'm made of metal, so I can deal with this."

The crystal man breathed a sigh of relief before glaring at Metapod and thinking, 'Never in my life would I have imagined someone like him would make things harder for us. But it doesn't matter. A few good hits won't take us down.'

With that in mind, he raced toward both family members with his arms out. Magearna joined him and crossed her arms. Seeing this, Caterpie and Metapod rose up and swung their tails forward, striking the villains in the face.

But while Necrozma took a decent amount of pain from Metapod, Magearna ignored Caterpie's strike and took hold of the very spot that hit her. She then swung her arms downward and planted his back into the canvas. She continued to hold onto him, though, as Metapod turned and gasped, "Son!"

This was all Necrozma needed, thus he took full advantage of the distraction and took hold of the chrysalis. He then implied a smirk at Magearna and said, "Now," both swinging their respective heroes sideways and causing their cheeks to collide.

But while Metapod took in slight pain from this, the one who suffered the most was Caterpie whose cheek caved in slightly. As such, the chrysalis gasped, "I'm so sorry!" only to find himself lifted up and planted face-first into the canvas seconds later.

Magearna, meanwhile, took advantage of Caterpie's weakened state and pressed him up against the gear atop her skull. She then spun it around and shouted, "SHIFT GEAR!" the caterpillar crying out in pain.

"Son!" Metapod spat as he pushed himself up only for Necrozma to stomp on his back. He then shifted his foot back and forth and said, "You managed to get in a few lucky hits, but deep down, you knew this would happen. You never stood a chance against us."

Upon seeing this, Caterpie narrowed his eyelids and ignored the pain to his back. As such, he unleashed his silk from his mouth and shouted, "GET YOUR FOOT OFF OF MY DAD!"

He then twirled the silk around when it started to descend, and soon enough, he managed to wrap it around Magearna while shouting, "STRINGSHOT LASSO!"

The cyborg's eyes widened when he jerked his head forward. He just barely managed to pull hard enough to cause her to fall forward. And sure enough, when her face hit the canvas, her gear stopped spinning and thus Caterpie rolled away from her. Necrozma stared in shock as he wrapped a new string of silk around Magearna's neck and lifted her up, swinging her sideways into the crystal man. As a result, both villains fell on their sides with the cyborg on top of her ally.

"Are you alright?" Caterpie uttered before Metapod rose to his feet and replied, "Of course I am. I have an amazing son," the two pounding the ends of their arms together.

Of course, they would need to keep this up when they noticed Magearna rise up, gasping, "I'm so sorry, Necrozma! Are you okay!?"

"Yes," the crystal man retorted while he got up as well, "I'm made of crystal. It'll take much more than that to defeat me."

With that in mind, Metapod nodded at Caterpie and leapt into the air. With that, the caterpillar whipped out his silk and bound it to the chrysalis. He then swung him around in a circle while the two shouted, "STRINGSHOT COCOONERANG CHAIN MACE!"

And sure enough, Magearna and Necrozma were unable to react as they took Metapod's body to the face and fell on their backs again. Caterpie then lifted the chrysalis up and sent him down into the crystal man's gut, both exclaiming, "STRINGSHOT CHAIN HAMMER!"

Caterpie soon reeled Metapod back to him while Magearna pushed herself up and gasped, "Necrozma!" However, the crystal man got up shortly after and breathed heavily with a look of irritation in his eyes. There was no way these two would beat him.

As he completely rose to his feet, his eyes widened when he heard something fall against the mat. He slowly looked down and sure enough, a small bit of his crystal had fallen off of his belly and hit the surface. He looked up at Metapod who had a smug look on his face as he asked, "Didn't think I'd be able to pull that off, did you?"

"Honestly, I didn't think you could, either," Caterpie uttered, the chrysalis whispering, "Same here, but I don't want him to know that."

Necrozma took a deep breath and retorted, "It doesn't matter!" Magearna nodding and trying her hardest to look tough. However, Metapod had made things so much more difficult that this was especially hard for her. Chespin and Litwick had both been scary, but seeing Necrozma get chipped by one of these two was more than she could bare.

Even so, she had to remember what all of this was for. If she and Necrozma won this match, then they would be one step closer to achieving their goal and she would not have to be used for combat ever again. She knew she would have to deal with this in advance, so this was not a surprise for her.

Before she could prepare for another move, though, the crystal man turned to her and asked, "Hey, Magearna, why don't you try that cannon move of yours?"

"What?" the cyborg uttered as he replied, "You know, the move you defeated Chespin with. What did you call it? Flower Cannon or something like that?"

Magearna looked confused and uttered, "But I wasn't built with any cannons," Necrozma narrowing his eyes and thinking, 'It's just as I thought. She wasn't fully aware of what she was doing during that match. She acted more robot-like when she used that move, but what triggered it?'

He would need to think fast when Metapod leapt toward him and spat, "COCOONERANG!" The crystal man gasped and held his right arm up, blocking the incoming strike but not doing much else. Magearna saw Caterpie latch his silk to her chest while he reeled himself toward her, shouting, "STRINGSHOT ASTEROID!"

The cyborg squeaked in panic and took the blow to her neck. The caterpillar then wrapped his arms around her and lifted her up, leaning backward and planting the back of her head into the canvas while uttering, "Wow, you are a lot lighter than I thought you'd be."

Necrozma fumed and rose his fist toward the caterpillar only for Metapod to once again fly toward him and strike his cheek. With that, Caterpie distanced himself from the villains and smiled, saying, "Wow, we might actually win this after all."

Necrozma's eye twitched as he thought, 'No, I can't accept this. Dammit, how did Magearna gain all that power?'

His eyes widened when he turned to the cyborg who slowly rose to her feet and whimpered, "Necrozma, I'm not sure if we can win this match. I've barely done a thing so far."

Necrozma blinked and implied a smile before resting a hand on her shoulder and replying, "It's fine, okay? I'm sure we can still win," the cyborg's eyes wide with shock when he dug one of his claws into that very spot, adding, "Whoops."

A mixture of oil and blood dripped down as Caterpie blinked and uttered, "What the hell?" while Metapod could not believe what he saw. He could tell that Necrozma had not pierced Magearna by accident, but why would he do that?

All became clear when the crystal man implied a smirk and turned to the heroes, saying, "I'll admit, you two have been a real pain so far, but I bet neither of you are prepared for this," Magearna's eyes turning a darker shade of red while she gazed upon Caterpie and Metapod, saying, "Targets acquired. Eliminate."


	97. Chapter 97

Just when things were looking good, it seemed as if Necrozma had just brought out Magearna's deadlier side. It had taken him a while to figure it out, but he finally saw it.

"Why's she looking at us like that?" Caterpie whimpered, "Come to think of it, she did the same thing when fighting Chespin and Litwick."

"It took me a while to get it as well," Necrozma replied with an implied smirk as he stuck a claw into the hole he had just created and made it slightly bigger, "But something I remembered was that Magearna didn't act like this until after Chespin pierced her. As soon as he drew her inner fluids, she went berserk. Not only that, but it looked like she had done something similar to a guard on Hero Planet after having been scratched open."

He remembered that very moment when he, Cosmog and Cosmoem escaped from the Tower of Justice. They saw Charmeleon lying unconscious as a result of a battle with Magearna. And for a split second, Necrozma saw that she had a few scratches on her but thought nothing of it at the time.

"It all makes sense now," the crystal man stated, "Once you draw blood from her, she loses her temper and can think about nothing but fighting."

Metapod blinked and remarked, "So you brought harm to your own ally just to exploit that?" Caterpie adding, "Yeah, that's just disgraceful. How do you think she truly feels about that?"

The crystal man let out a sigh and retorted, "That doesn't matter. Something else I noticed before is that she immediately forgot all about her more deadly state once it left. She won't even remember how I drew it out, let alone the fact that she acted like this in the first place. Now go on, Magearna, show those two how powerful you really are."

"I do not take orders from those who oppose me!" Magearna retorted in a monotone voice before suddenly sprouting a small buzz saw on her shoulder. It then spun around as Necrozma reeled his hand back and stared in horror, uttering, "What are you talking about? Those two are the enemy."

"Yes, they are," Magearna replied, "And so are you. You have brought harm to me, and that makes you my target as well."

Necrozma felt scared for the first time in his life when she opened up her hands and pointed one at him. She aimed the other one for Caterpie and Metapod as the caterpillar uttered, "Dad, we'll need to dodge this."

But it was too late when the cyborg spat, "FLEUR CANNON!" unleashing her powerful beams. One of them struck Necrozma hard in the gut and sent him flying into the ropes. And after a few seconds, the material split open and he fell outside of the ring, a few more shards of crystal flying off of him.

While this went on, Caterpie and Metapod barely managed to dodge in time to avoid the full force of the beam. However, their tails were still grazed, thus smoke floated up from them. As a result, both felt extreme pain and fell flat on their faces.

Magearna turned toward Necrozma and examined him for a few seconds. When she saw him no longer moving, she nodded and said, "Target one eliminated," before turning back toward Caterpie and Metapod. She then shifted the halves of her discs around so they faced each-other and had them come together. Once the sun's rays hit the disc, a ball of green and purple light formed and the cyborg exclaimed, "MIRROR SHOT!"

Caterpie and Metapod both panicked when a beam shot from the completed disc. This time, Caterpie was unable to dodge, thus he took in the attack, burns forming on him as he fell flat on his face. And while his eyes swirled, Metapod stared down at him in fear and alarm.

"Son, are you okay!?" he gasped only to turn toward Magearna while the pentagon on her lower body opened up. A small cannon emerged while the chrysalis tensed up.

"BELT CANNON!" the cyborg exclaimed before a ball of light shot out of the barrel. And sure enough, Metapod was unable to dodge in time to avoid the resulting explosion. He flew into the air with his eyes closed and flew over the rope, falling on his side while the news crew stared in horror.

Magearna looked at all of her unconscious adversaries when suddenly, her eyes returned to their normal shade of red. She blinked and uttered, "Did I do all of this?" before turning back toward Necrozma and squeaking, "OH MY GOD! NECROZMA! WHAT HAPPENED!?"

She breathed a sigh of relief when he managed to push himself back up. He breathed heavily and glared at the cyborg, just about ready to scold her. But when he saw that she had returned to normal and looked just as shocked by his condition as he had been when she attacked him, he realized it was best not to bring up the fact that she had done this. As such, he let out a sigh and replied, "Those two used some kind of weird super attack on me, but it's alright because you managed to defeat them."

"I did?" Magearna uttered as the crystal man nodded and replied, "Yes, you did a terrific job. Now you won't have to worry about fighting anyone else for the time-"

His eyes widened when he gazed upon Metapod and saw him make a full recovery. The chrysalis leapt into the ring and looked at Caterpie with concern. He was really hoping he would recover too.

Even so, he glared at Magearna who looked a tad frightened by this. Metapod then took a deep breath and turned toward Necrozma, saying with a smirk, "As you can see, Necrozma, my body's just as strong as yours. If you were able to get up from that, it shouldn't be so surprising that I was able to as well. I'm not sure if I can take you both by myself, but I can try. Besides, I have no doubt my son will be back up and at it in no time."

Necrozma narrowed his eyes and grunted, "You seem awfully confident about that!" before turning to Magearna and adding, "You've done enough. Take it easy for the time being. This guy's starting to piss me off."

The cyborg nodded with a light smile and walked toward the turnbuckle, leaning against it. She still had no idea how she had helped, but she was glad to have been of assistance. And while she did remember Necrozma piercing her shoulder, she truly believed that was an accident. After all, she did not know why he would have done that on purpose.

Metapod held up a fighting stance, though while he looked confident, deep down, he was feeling less certain that he and Caterpie could really win. While Magearna had inadvertently made things easier for them by dealing extra damage to Necrozma, it did not change the fact that she had dealt equal damage to them as well. While Metapod was tough, he was not even completely sure if he really was as strong as Necrozma. After all, how could hardened silk possibly beat solid crystal?

Even so, he could not allow this to get to him. With that in mind, he leaned backward before launching himself toward Necrozma. He spun toward him and shouted, "COCOONERANG!" the crystal man swinging his arm downward and barking, "CRYSTAL SWORD!"

Metapod's eyes widened when not only did the wrist crystal stop him in his tracks, it also put a small slit on his belly. As such, a bit of green blood came out while he thought, 'No, I can't let him get the better of me.'

The chrysalis ignored the pain and advanced forward before wrapping his arms around Necrozma's sides. His eyes widened when Metapod leapt into the air and flipped backward multiple times, shouting, "COCOONERANG SUPLEX!" slamming Necrozma's skull into the canvas.

Magearna watched in shock and gasped, "Do you need help, Necrozma!?" the crystal man propelling himself back up to his feet and breathing heavily. He glared at Metapod with his focus primarily on the slit he had just created and narrowed his eyes, grunting, "Not yet."

He leapt toward the chrysalis who attempted to dodge only for the crystal man to pick up his speed and grab him. He then held Metapod close and jabbed his claws into his upper backside. And while he was unable to get the claws far into the material, he still created small holes and drew a bit of blood.

Metapod could no longer hide his fear when Necrozma leapt into the air and planted his toes into him, saying, "There's that look of fear I've been waiting for. You've been so overconfident since this match began, but no more."

But just as Necrozma was ready to set up for the first signature move he had used on Litwick, Caterpie managed to wake up just in time. Thus he whipped out his silk and latched it to Metapod's back. Magearna gasped and raced toward him, but it was too late when the caterpillar pried the chrysalis out of Necrozma's grip. And while this did cause the holes on his sides to get a little bit bigger, it was nothing compared to the amount of pain he would have taken in from the crystal man's attack.

Light tears welled up in Metapod's eyes as he smiled and sniffed, "Son! You managed to recover after all!" the caterpillar reeling him in and setting him down, asking, "Wait, you didn't think I could do it?"

The chrysalis blinked and gave him an odd look only for him to sigh, "Well, honestly, I'm surprised I got up from that too. That was terrifying."

Magearna listened to this and thought, 'What's he talking about?' as Necrozma clenched his fists and shook with irritation and anger. As if Metapod surviving Magearna's onslaught earlier was not annoying enough, to see Caterpie also get up made him wonder if they could win.

Metapod smiled wide and gave Caterpie a light hug before, saying, "Not only do you recover, but you also save my life. I'm so proud of you, son!" before letting go, winking at the caterpillar and suggesting, "Now how's about we finish this guy off for good?"

Magearna squeaked, "No!" racing toward them along with Necrozma only for Metapod to leap into the air while Caterpie latched his silk to his back. He then swung him around in a circle for the second time in the match while both shouted, "STRINGSHOT COCOONERANG CHAIN MACE!"

As a result, the cyborg took a hard blow to her face and flew backward while Necrozma took a similar hit to his chin. But before he could join Magearna, Metapod latched onto his sides and lifted him up, Caterpie swinging him head-first into the turnbuckle.

Metapod smiled and said, "Alright, son, it's time for the ultimate combination," as Caterpie beamed bright and replied, "But of course."

With that in mind, he lifted both his father and Necrozma high into the air, leaning backward while both bugs shouted, "STRINGSHOT CHRYSALIS SUPLEX!" the back of Necrozma's head hitting the canvas hard as his eyes widened.

'No,' he thought when more fragments fell from his body, but not a whole lot. Magearna got up just in time to see this and stood upright. But rather than freaking out or rushing in to help, she stared with a blank expression on her face.

Metapod smirked and said, "I'll admit, you really gave us a run for our money. But in the end, not even you could stop the combined efforts of father and son."

And with all said and done, the chrysalis released his hold and allowed Necrozma to collapse. Since the crystal man was unable to close his eyes, it was unclear whether or not he was really unconscious at this point. But after half-a-minute, Caterpie poked him only to get no reaction. As such, it was clear that he had finally been defeated.

"We did it!" Caterpie exclaimed with a big smile, "We actually beat him, Dad!" Metapod nodding and uttering, "I actually wasn't sure if that would be enough to finish him off, but that only leaves one opponent."

But when the two turned to face Magearna, they stared blankly since she had not even moved. However, panic spread through them when the cyborg narrowed her eyes and shouted, "I WON'T LET YOU RUIN OUR PLANS!"

She held her arms out and opened up her hands, energy building up inside while Caterpie uttered, "Dad, are her eyes darker again?" the chrysalis shaking his head and replying, "No. I think she's fully aware of what she's doing this time."

"FLEUR CANNON!" Magearna exclaimed as she fired her large beams toward them. Both barely managed to dodge once again, but this time the cyborg was much more prepared. As such, she leapt up toward Metapod and grunted, "I will get revenge on you first!"

The chrysalis panicked when spikes emerged from the teeth on her gear. She then spun it around and shouted, "SHIFTING BUZZ SAW GEAR!" But while it seemed like Metapod could dodge this at first, it looked much less likely when Magearna activated small rockets in her feet and boosted herself toward him, her spiked gear putting a big gash in the chrysalis' gut.

Caterpie stared in terror while blood flew from his father. He slowly closed his eyes and fell on his side, Magearna landing and taking many deep breaths. But upon seeing what she had done, she stared in shock and gasped, "I didn't know I had abilities like that!"

'Oh shit,' Caterpie thought, 'She really was fully aware of her actions that time.'

His fear only heightened when the cyborg took a deep breath and glared at him, saying, "I hate to do this, but if I'm to achieve my dream of a world without fighting, I need to finish you off as well."

"Wait, what?" the caterpillar remarked as the cyborg opened up her right hand one last time and shouted, "FLEUR CANNON!"

Sure enough, Caterpie was unable to react in time and thus the beam hit him hard and sent him flying out of the ring. He was covered head to toe in burns with his eyes closed. There was no doubt about it. He and Metapod had both been defeated.

Magearna took many deep breaths, looked at the steam rising up from her hand and uttered, "This must be what Necrozma was talking about earlier. I don't remember ever using this before, but I must have."

She then narrowed her eyelids and thought, 'It pains me to do this, but if it'll guarantee my dream will succeed, I'll use it.'

Mantarina had watched the whole thing from Hero Planet and needless to say, she could not have been more frightened. With the condition her son and husband were in, she could not help but wonder if they were still alive. As such, she got up and walked down the hallway only for a butterfly maid to spot her.

"Where are you headed, Lady Mantarina?" the mantis replying, "Take me to Earth, please. I need to see my family."

The maid was about to protest until one servant called from the TV room, "You should take her! Metapod and Caterpie just lost horribly!" the butterfly gasping. As such, she bowed her head to Mantarina while both headed toward the exit to their mansion.

And during all of this, Eevee and Popplio were ready for their match with Cosmog and Cosmoem at the park. The fox narrowed her eyelids and asked, "So, you feel ready for this, Popplio?" the seal nodding and replying, "Oui, mon amour."

The fox blushed lightly and thought, 'No matter how many times he calls me that, I still can't believe we're actually a thing!'

Even so, she had to stay focused. This was her first time fighting in a team match. But as exciting as that was, it was also for the fate of the world. They could not render Passimian's efforts pointless.

Though seeing how well the two seemed to get along made Cosmog slightly envious, thus he turned to Cosmoem and said, "Hey, don't forget that this is a team match, alright?" the orb retorting, "Of course I wouldn't forget that! You're next to me and we have two opponents standing across from us! Do you think I'm too stupid to remember that!?"

"No," the gas boy replied with a shrug of his shoulders, "I'm just making sure," Cosmoem trying not to let this offend her. Though despite her answer, Cosmog was still uncertain. After all, the orb had spent her life trying to one-up him at every opportunity.

Even so, he had to focus as Popplio whispered, "Alright, looking these two over, I think I might know a good way to catch them off guard. As we saw from the last match, Cosmoem's body is fake and made from a metal too strong for either of us to break, let alone both of us combined. As such, it only stands to reason to attack her head and nothing else."

Eevee nodded and enquired, "So, what about Cosmog?" the seal replying, "I figure he might not have the same advantage, so I'm sure fighting him normally should be fine."

With all said and done, both teams were more than ready to begin. Popplio and Eevee held their ground as they normally did, Cosmoem smirking and whispering, "Look at that, they're waiting for us to use the first move so they can catch us off guard."

Cosmog nodded and replied, "Well then, we'll just get them to-" only for Cosmoem to rush toward them with her arms stretched out for a double clothesline. The gas boy sighed and raced forward along with her, thinking, 'Actually, this might be fine all things considered.'

Once Cosmoem got close, though, Popplio leapt into the air and spun vertically toward her, ramming his tail into her face. As such, her eyes widened while she fell on her back, Eevee leaping to the side in time to evade Cosmog and sending a roundhouse toward his waist.

The fox's eyes went wide when her foot passed right through the gas boy. As such, she was unable to respond when he morphed his hands into human-like fists and swung one hard into her cheek. And with her distracted, he immediately floated toward Popplio just as he was about to land another strike to Cosmoem. And sure enough, he reached the seal just in time to latch onto his flippers, lift him up and lean backward, planting the back of his head into the canvas.

"Popplio!" Eevee squeaked as the seal ignored the pain and rolled backward. He then righted himself up and uttered, "Why didn't that work?"

Cosmoem rose to her feet and groaned, "Dammit, as if taking in pain wasn't bad enough, I had to be saved by you?" Cosmog sighing, "You're welcome."

He then noticed Eevee and Popplio's confusion, thus he nodded and explained, "Oh yes, something worth note is that my body is actually made of gas. That means just like my sister's mechanical torso, you can't bring harm to it."

Eevee's eye twitched as she groaned, "You've gotta be kidding me," Popplio narrowing his eyelids and saying, "It's fine. Now that you know that, you can exploit it. You just need to find a spot you can hit."

But right now, the fox was unsure of that. While Popplio was at least right about Cosmoem's weakness, was it the same for Cosmog? And would this even be enough to defeat them? After all, both had already proven themselves stronger than they looked.


	98. Chapter 98

While Popplio had gotten an early lead on Cosmoem, both he and Eevee had taken in more damage from Cosmog. As if that was not enough, it seemed attacking each one's torso was pointless. Could the heroes possibly win under such circumstances?

"I'm not gonna lie, I thought these two might actually be the weakest members of the team," Eevee uttered, "That would have been a little disappointing, but I wonder if we can even do this."

Popplio patted her on the shoulder and replied, "It's fine, mon amour. I've fought two opponents who were hard to hit and defeated both of them. If I can handle it, so can you," the fox beaming bright.

They would certainly need to act fast, though, when Cosmoem raced toward them and spat, "Don't ignore your opponents during a match, idiots!" but once she got close, Popplio nodded to Eevee who returned the gesture. Thus both leapt to the side and sent simultaneous roundhouses into the back of her head. And while the material did cushion the blow a little bit, she still took in pain.

However, the heroes knew they could not afford to lower their guard when Cosmog formed blades with his hands and sped toward them, shouting, "GASEOUS TWIN SWORDS!" Just as he swiped the blades toward them, they managed to leap over them before sending two more kicks into his face.

Eevee smiled when he gasped and fell on his back, the fox squealing, "Wow, I can't believe that actually worked!" Popplio nodding and explaining, "I had a feeling that just like Cosmoem, only his head can take in pain. As long as we keep aiming for that spot on both of them, we'll be fine."

Needless to say, Cosmoem was beyond annoyed as she growled, "Dammit, our biggest advantage and they've already found a way around it!" Cosmog sighing, "But we can work around that, right?"

The orb tapped her chin and said, "We can still work around it, though," Cosmog sighing, "I just said that," but shook his head and decided to accept it. He was just glad his sister had not lost her fighting spirit because of a couple of good hits.

Even so, Eevee and Popplio were more than confident and thus they both leapt toward the siblings. The fox had both of her feet pointed at Cosmog's face while the seal once again aimed his tail toward Cosmoem. But once both were close enough, the gas boy cupped both of his hands together and formed a square with spikes on it, shouting, "GASEOUS SPIKY WALL!"

Eevee squeaked in pain when her feet hit the shape and the spikes went right through them. And all the while, Cosmoem easily managed to block Popplio by crossing her arms in front of her face. Since her mechanical body was much stronger, it only made sense that the seal took in some slight pain from this.

"I'll admit, I'm impressed you two managed to figure out our weakness so quickly," she said as she shifted her hands quickly enough to grab Popplio by the tail, "But now we know you won't aim anywhere else on us, so defending ourselves will be easy."

With that, she and Cosmog both swung their arms downward and slammed their respective opponents into the mat. The gas boy then morphed his hands into rocks and sent them hard into Eevee's gut, shouting, "GASEOUS BOULDER!"

Despite having only taken in a few hits, Eevee already coughed up blood with her eyes and mouth wide with terror. And things only got worse when Cosmoem kept her grip on Popplio and lifted him up. She then wrapped her arms around him and leapt into the air before tucking his head between her knees and ramming his skull into the canvas.

"As you can see, unlike my brother, I don't exactly have any signature moves," she stated, "But it doesn't matter. My suit is so powerful that the simplest of techniques make me a force to be reckoned with. In other words, I don't need an original gravity-defying stunt to defeat you guys."

Cosmog heard the boastfulness in her tone and sighed. At this point, he figured it was better not to question it. As such, he rammed his hands into Eevee's gut again.

Popplio tilted his head back far enough to see this as he gritted his teeth and barked, "BIG DEAL! IT'LL TAKE MORE THAN THAT TO DEFEAT US!" and with that, he flipped himself backward and rammed his tail into Cosmoem's chin.

This was just the distraction he needed as he propelled himself toward Cosmog's head, shouting, "BOUNCING BALL STRIKE!" sending his tail hard into his skull.

It did not end there when he spun sideways and shouted, "CIRCUS PINWHEEL!" sending multiple slaps into Cosmog's face. And after he took in eight, the gas boy backed up and rubbed his cheek.

"You alright?" Popplio asked with concern before Eevee nodded and replied, "Yeah." She then rose to her feet and groaned, "Though I hate to admit that Cosmoem has a point. Since their heads are the only part that can take in damage, they know we're gonna aim there. How are we supposed to catch them off guard now?"

"I think you know how that can at least work with Cosmoem," Popplio replied with a grin, "It might be more difficult with Cosmog, but there is one type of move I don't think they'll see coming."

It took the fox a few seconds, but she soon realized what he meant. However, both would need to initiate this plan soon when both siblings were headed straight for them, Cosmoem growling, "Don't get too comfortable! There's no way in hell I'll let you hit me in the chin again!"

With that in mind, Eevee nodded at Popplio before the two dodged their opponents to the side. The seal then sped behind Cosmoem and wrapped his flippers around her, Eevee taking hold of Cosmog's hands, saying, "I knew it. Your hands are solid too," the gas boy tensing up.

Before either sibling could react, Popplio curled his tail like a spring and launched himself into the air, leaning backward and shouting, "TRAMPOLINE SUPLEX!"

Eevee followed suit as she lifted Cosmog up and leaned back as well. And sure enough, his and Cosmoem's skulls hit the canvas hard while their eyes and mouths went wide. With that, Eevee and Popplio released their holds and allowed their opponents to collapse.

While this went on, Machop and Isamu watched from home while the woman grinned and said, "I knew they'd find a way around their defence. Those two have a knack for that. They're even better than I was back in the day."

She then lowered her eyelids and sighed, "Much better than I was back in the day," as Isamu rubbed her shoulder and replied, "Don't say that."

Eevee beamed at Popplio and asked, "Have I ever told you you're a genius?" the seal chuckling and replying, "Maybe once or twice."

Cosmog and Cosmoem both rose to their feet and breathed heavily. While they were not exactly close to defeat, they simply could not believe how many hits they had taken in so far. But while the orb did her best to figure out how they pulled it off, the gas boy already had an idea.

"Sis, look at how those two fight," he stated, "Do you notice a major difference between them and us?" Cosmoem staring at him with a confused expression. However, she did not wish to come off as clueless and therefor said, "Yeah. They keep finding ways to land hits on our heads."

"True, but there's one other difference," Cosmog replied, "Those two actually get along with each other. They have this great deal of chemistry when they fight. What does that tell you?"

Cosmoem already knew where he was going with this but did not want to believe it. Even so, now was not the time to let pride get to her head. After all, Necrozma had told her the same thing many times, so perhaps now was the time to finally listen to his advice.

With that in mind, she nodded at the gas boy and enquired, "Alright, what did you have in mind?" Cosmog smiling lightly and whispering a quick strategy to her. And as much as Cosmoem hated to admit it, she liked the sound of it.

Eevee and Popplio watched them all the while as the fox uttered, "Should we have hit them while they were talking?" the seal shaking his head and remarking, "Non. They probably would have caught us off guard just like we did."

And sure enough, both Cosmog and Cosmoem raced toward them only for the two heroes to dodge to the side again. However, this time the siblings were ready. Cosmoem took hold of Cosmog's hand before he swung her around and sent her flying toward Eevee with her arm out. And needless to say, the orb felt beyond happy when she struck the back of the fox's neck, causing her to cough up more blood and fall on her face.

"I finally landed a clothesline!" she exclaimed with a grin, "Thanks, bro!" Cosmog's eyes and mouth wide with shock. However, he would need to think fast when Popplio backed up into the ropes and bounced off with his skull pointed toward him and his flippers by his sides, shouting, "CIRCUS MISSILE!"

It was now Cosmoem's turn to help him out and as such, she lifted Eevee up by her hind legs and swung her around. She then released her hold and sent her flying right past Cosmog and into the seal's forehead. As a result, both took in pain and fell on the mat.

Cosmoem blinked and turned toward Cosmog. As much as she hated to admit it, that was a good strategy. And of course, the gas boy still could not believe she had openly expressed thanks for something he had suggested. It seemed that the orb really had gotten the message.

Even so, both were fully aware that this was not enough to take down both opponents. As such, Cosmog nodded at Cosmoem as she smiled lightly and leapt up into the air, spreading her legs out in a splits formation. The gas boy floated up to her level and placed his hands against her shoulders, pushing her downward as her legs landed on both heroes and dealt extreme pain.

It did not end there. The siblings decided to end their assault by lifting both heroes up, Cosmoem taking hold of Popplio and Cosmog doing the same for Eevee. They then lifted the two up and planted the backs of their heads into the canvas just like when they fought two guards on Hero Planet.

The orb smiled at her brother and said, "I still think I'm better than you, but I have to admit, teamwork has its benefits," Cosmog shrugging his shoulders and figuring this was the best he would get.

Popplio groaned and turned his gaze over to Eevee, uttering, "Are you alright?" the fox rubbing the back of her head and slowly pushing herself up into a sitting position, sighing, "I guess so. But man, they just became tougher to defeat."

"Oui," the seal sighed, "But even so, if they can use teamwork to get the upper hand, so can we."

Eevee beamed at the sound of that. While it was true neither had used a team move before, they knew each other's fighting styles enough. Surely they could pull a few off.

With that in mind, both rose to their feet as Cosmog and Cosmoem turned their focus back to them. The orb smirked and said, "You should have stayed down. You got in a few lucky shots before, but now you don't stand a chance."

"That's what you think," Popplio retorted before tucking himself into a ball. Eevee then leapt on top of him and thus he started to roll forward and shouted, "CIRCUS BALL!"

However, while Eevee did a good job running atop him at first, she was unable to keep up with his speed, therefor she lost her balance and fell off of him. Popplio was too distracted by this and thus rammed himself into Cosmoem's ankles. And while this showed a reaction, it dealt no pain to her.

As such, she knelt down and took hold of him, lifting him up and slamming his back into the canvas with a powerbomb. The seal ignored the pain and rolled backward while Cosmog uttered, "Even I thought that was pathetic," Cosmoem giving him a high five for that.

Eevee got up and gasped, "Are you okay!?" Popplio nodding before the fox whimpered, "I'm so sorry!"

"It's fine," the seal uttered, "We just need to try something different, and I think I know something that can work."

With that in mind, he leapt up into the air, Eevee doing the same and latching onto his tail. He then spun with his flippers pointed outward again. But when he and Eevee spun toward the villains, the fox had no idea what to do next. And as such, Cosmog floated up to Popplio's level, morphed his hands into rocks and shouted, "GASEOUS BOULDER!" ramming them into his forehead.

It only got worse when Eevee released her hold on his tail. Cosmoem took full advantage of this and charged forward, planting her elbow into the fox's gut.

Both heroes were on their backs again while Eevee groaned, "I'm so sorry. I figured after watching you fight long enough, I'd be able to combine my abilities with yours. Maybe I'm not fit to be your girlfriend."

Popplio's eyes widened as both heroes slowly got back up. The seal then rested a flipper on Eevee's shoulder and sighed, "Don't say that, alright? This isn't your fault. Neither of us had any time to really prepare for a team match. In fact, it might have been a little much for moi to just expect it to work on the first try."

Eevee bit her lower lip and whimpered, "But then what can we do?" as Cosmoem heard this and smirked, remarking, "I have a suggestion. How about you and your boyfriend give up? You've already done everything you can do to us. Nothing you do from here on out will surprise us in the slightest."

"As arrogant as that came off, I can't argue with that," Cosmog said with a shrug, "If you surrender, we might be tempted to give you special treatment when you inevitably become our servants."

Cosmoem stared at her brother in admiration. She never knew he could sound so confident about something. Needless to say, it made her proud to be his sister.

Eevee narrowed her eyelids and grunted, "No way! The old, loser me wouldn't have given up and there's no way in Hell I'll give up now!" Popplio nodding and adding, "Oui. No matter what comes our way, we will always fight until the end! We've faced many powerful opponents! In fact, I don't know if you've heard, but Eevee here defeated-"

"Mapin, right?" Cosmog replied, both heroes staring as he added, "Yes, we heard all about that. In fact, that's the very reason we wanted to face you. Imagine the amount of recognition we'll get for defeating Tokyo's greatest."

Eevee narrowed her eyelids and grunted, "It's obvious our usual methods won't work on them anymore. But I'm not sure if I can pull off a team move-" only for Popplio to shake his head and remark, "Non, I believe you can. We just need the right kind of move, and I think I know something that can work. Let's combine my Circus Missile with your Spinning Fox Tackle."

The fox's eyes sparkled while she grinned and nodded, saying, "I think we can do that."

Though they would need to act fast when Cosmoem and Cosmog raced toward them. The gas boy had his arms out while his hands were transformed into blades. The orb, meanwhile, had her arm stretched out and ready for another clothesline.

"Now!" Popplio barked as he and Eevee leapt backward toward the ropes. The fox landed on the seal's back and wrapped her legs around his waist, her paws pointed forward. And sure enough, Popplio's tail hit the material and stretched it back before shooting him forward with his flippers against his sides.

Both spun like a drill and picked up a large gust of wind, Cosmog and Cosmoem both staring in shock while the heroes shouted, "SPINNING FOX ROCKET!" Eevee spreading her arms out and planting a single paw into each sibling's face.

And sure enough, Cosmog and Cosmoem fell on their backs. Things were about to get worse for them when Eevee lifted up Cosmoem and asked, "Think we can make our own version of Muscle Coffin?"

"I think we can," Popplio replied while latching onto Cosmog's head and curling his tail for the second time. And with that, both leapt into the air while Eevee wrapped her arms, legs and tail around the orb's mechanical body and flipped upside-down. Popplio followed suit by springing himself high into the air and leaning backward, resting the top of the gas boy's head against his sister's feet.

"TRAMPOLINE FOX TWISTER!" they shouted while they spun around once more. And sure enough, Cosmoem's skull hit the canvas hard while Cosmog's took in extreme pain from being right up against her mechanical feet.

The heroes released their hold and allowed them to collapse. Both breathed heavily with big smiles on their faces. And after a few seconds, they turned to one-another and shared a high five. They were certain this was not enough to end the match, but they could not have been happier to pull that off.

"Thanks, Popplio," Eevee sighed, "I can't believe I was actually close to giving up back there," the seal shrugging and replying, "Well, I couldn't allow you of all heroes to do that, now, could I?"

Just as they suspected, Cosmoem and Cosmog still had a bit of fight left in them. But when they rose to their feet, they did not look particularly confident. Even Cosmoem was starting to wonder if they could win, her eyes wide with terror.

"Oh my god," she uttered, "They're incredible. Now I can see how they've pulled off all those accomplishments. Every time we get the upper hand, they find a way to take it from us. What can we do?"

Cosmog blinked and stared briefly. However, he put on a more serious look and replied, "We keep fighting, just like them. They may be tough, but so are we. Even if we lose, it would be much more disgraceful to just give up and let the team down."

Cosmoem nodded with a light smile and said, "You're right. I can't believe I of all creatures thought of giving up. Come on, let's show them more of that teamwork of ours. I almost hate to say it, but I actually kinda like those combination moves."

Cosmog smiled lightly and nodded. But just as they were ready for more, Popplio asked, "Hey, Eevee, do you think you can pull off the circus ball technique this time?"

The fox nodded and replied, "Yeah, I just got a good idea of how to make that work," the seal smiling before he tucked himself into a ball. She then leapt up into the air and landed atop him, only this time she performed a handstand as Cosmoem blinked and uttered, "There goes their creative spark. Did they already forget how badly that failed?"

However, things were about to get worse for them when Popplio rolled forward, Eevee managing to keep up with him this time. And once they were close, she leapt off of him and rolled up into a ball herself, the two shouting, "DOUBLE CIRCUS WHEEL!"

Sure enough, Eevee flew into Cosmoem's face while Popplio rammed hard into Cosmog's. As if that was not enough, the orb gasped when she noticed her casing start to crack. She did not even think this was possible.

"Oh no," she uttered when Eevee landed away from her and blinked, uttering, "Wow, did I do that?"

Cosmog stared with concern. After all, no one in their family knew why Cosmoem was born with a glass casing around her real body. Would she die if it broke or would something even worse happen?

It seemed something else happened when the stars inside of the casing floated out and circled around both siblings. Cosmog stared at this sister in shock when suddenly, a bright light burst out of her and disintegrated her mechanical body. At that moment, her real body shaped itself into a dark blue and white head with pink eyes. Her mouth became bigger with fang-like protrusions on her upper lip.

To make up for the destruction of her mechanical body, a real body sprouted out of her, starting with a golden neck. Her new upper body was like that of a skeletal bat with her torso looking just like a ribcage. A rigid raised hood formed around her head and took on a crescent shape. The back of the hood was yellow while the front matched the colours of her head. Each of her shoulders had a spike coming out of it and the rest of her body was composed of big blue wings with two golden stars on the bottom of each and blade-like rims attached to the sides. Finally, rather than legs, her lower body was more like a golden pendulum.

But of course, she was not the only sibling to undergo a change. Soon enough, Cosmog's body started to transform as well, only he looked vastly different from his gaseous form. A whole new body surrounded his old one as he took on the form of a white lion with a blunt muzzle, a blue nose and matching eyes. The top half of his face matched Cosmoem's new forehead, both containing a star scape. Eight yellow spikes were framed around Cosmog's face and each tuft of his mane had a red and yellow ridge. Around his wrists and ankles were orange bands and his paws had black spots on top. His fingers and toes were also black and on the tip of his tail was a matching spot with a yellow rim.

Eevee and Popplio stared in stunned silence while even the news crew had no idea what to say to this. All the while, Cosmoem turned to Cosmog and gasped, "Whoa, what happened to you!?" the lion uttering, "Me? What about you?"

He then held up one of his paws and gasped, "Oh my god!" feeling his face while Cosmoem examined her new wings and circled around, saying, "Oh my god is right! Do you realize what just happened!?"

Cosmog nodded slowly and replied, "Yes. I can't believe I didn't see it. It took so long, but we're finally one step closer to fulfilling our destiny."

Eevee and Popplio still had no idea what was going on, but they were scared. For all they knew, these news forms were probably much more powerful. Either way, things were tough before, but they could only get worse from here.


	99. Chapter 99

Eevee and Popplio were terrified. Cosmog and Cosmoem had just taken on two new forms that made them look much more intimidating. They were already major threats before, but now one could only guess how much stronger they had become.

Machop and Isamu both watched in fear as the woman groaned, "Oh no. This isn't good at all," Isamu nodding while biting his lower lip.

Flareon and Chanchai were also watching all of this from back in Thailand. But while the man was scared for Eevee's safety, Flareon narrowed her eyelids and said, "It's okay, Chanchai. I have no doubt those two can still win."

Back in the park, Cosmoem admired her wings and said, "I look so cool. I wonder if I can suck blood in this form like Buzzwole!" Cosmog shrugging and saying, "I certainly feel a lot tougher. Look at me. I'm the king of the jungle."

Popplio shook out of his trance and uttered, "What's going on? You both seem to know what just happened," Cosmoem nodding and replying, "That's right. See, we were formed from space matter, meaning we didn't have parents growing up."

Cosmog nodded and added, "Because of that, we have always known what we were capable of, including our destiny. See, we've always felt that deep down, there was a hidden power within us just waiting to be released. And, well, Eevee, it would seem that you have unlocked that power."

The fox shook her head as Cosmoem sighed, "You know, I don't think our names really fit these new forms very well. I was thinking I'd go by the name Lunala from now on. What do you think?"

Cosmog nodded his head and replied, "I like it. It's quite pretty, and it also fits with that moon motif you have going on with your new hood."

The bat felt the part in question and nodded with a light smile while the lion added, "I'm not sure why, but I rather like the name Solgaleo for my new form. I think it makes me sound intimidating," as Lunala smiled and replied, "Oh yeah, that is much better than Cosmog."

Popplio narrowed his eyelids and grunted, "So what? Just because you have new forms and appearances doesn't mean we can't still beat you. Oui, Eevee?" the fox taking a deep breath and nodding. After all, it was just as Popplio said. He and the fox had faced many powerful adversaries before. Lunala and Solgaleo were just another couple to add to the pile.

With that in mind, both heroes leapt toward them, poised for attack. However, Solgaleo saw this coming, stepped to the side in time to avoid Eevee and lashed out a set of thin claws made of yellow flames from between his fingers. He then swiped them sideways across the fox's waist as she cried out in pain, the lion shouting, "SOLAR SWIPE!"

And when Lunala evaded Popplio, she did the same with her wing and exclaimed, "LUNAR BLADE!" A large gash formed on the seal's side while he groaned and fell chin-first onto the mat. Things only got worse when the bat floated above him and exclaimed, "LUNAR GUILLOTINE!" descending toward his back and planting her pendulum into it.

Popplio cried out in agony while Eevee turned to him and squeaked, "POPPLIO!" But she would need to focus more when Solgaleo wrapped his arms around her and lifted her up. He then leaned backward and planted the back of her head into the canvas before saying, "Well, look at that. My suplexes are much stronger now."

Lunala nodded and added, "I have to admit, having blades of my own is great. I hope those two are still standing. I wanna try out more on them."

It seemed she might very well get her wish when Eevee and Popplio did manage to recover. However, both looked weak now while the fox breathed heavily and stared at her boyfriend with fear and desperation in her eyes. If he could come up with a plan, now was the time for it.

Unfortunately, neither Lunala nor Solgaleo would give either a chance to do that. The bat lifted her wings up and somehow managed to extend the size of her pendulum. A big smile formed on her face as she tilted her body sideways and spun like a frisbee.

"LUNAR DISCUS!" she exclaimed before speeding past Eevee, leaving a big gash in her chest. She then flew over to Popplio who managed to leap into the air just in time to avoid it. Unfortunately, Solgaleo was more than ready for this when he went down on all fours and raced toward him. A gust of wind emanated from him but soon turned into a stream of fire, and sure enough, the seal was unable to react when the lion's face rammed into his gut hard.

"SUNSTEEL STRIKE!" Solgaleo roared when Popplio coughed up blood and flew into the turnbuckle. Eevee stared at this weakly and tensed up. Could the duo possibly win this now?

It certainly seemed unlikely when she noticed that the seal did not open his eyes this time. As such, the fox stood up and reached her arm out, uttering, "Popplio?"

Lunala landed atop the same turnbuckle and folded her wings, saying, "Well, well, well, looks like your little boyfriend can't help you anymore. It's a shame. I was really hoping you two would be able to resist more pain so we could try out some more moves on you."

Eevee gritted her teeth when the bat added, "That's right. Now that we have these amazing new forms, you two are nothing more than target practice for us. I really have to thank you, though, Eevee. If it hadn't been for you, I'd have never reached this amazing new form."

Solgaleo nodded and added, "We're still willing to give you a chance to surrender. All you have to do is concede that we are the superior fighters. You'll be our top servant. We'll let you dine with us."

It seemed that this was the exact time Necrozma had been defeated, though, as at that very moment, screens appeared in the sky to show the results of the other matches. And sure enough, all of the footage showed Eevee's other friends coming out on top. But since this was at the end of everyone else's matches, though, the fox did not see Lugarugan's sacrifice and only witnessed Lycanroc's victory over Guzzlord along with Caterpie and Metapod defeating Necrozma.

And of course, seeing all of the ultra beasts save for Nihilego defeated gave the fox a burst of confidence. Lunala, however, stared at all of this and uttered, "Wait, they all lost? Even Necrozma? Wow. Guess we couldn't rely on them in the end after all."

"It doesn't matter anymore," Solgaleo replied with a shrug of his shoulders, "If anything, we're strong enough to enslave this world on our own. Plus we still have Nihilego."

He then looked at the footage from Diamond Head and added, "Well, Magearna's still standing, but how long will that last?" the screens suddenly vanishing from the area.

Nihilego had also seen this from the beach and fumed, growling, "Dammit! How did every single one of them fail!? Even Buzzwole and Pheromosa!? Well, I always knew I was better than them anyway!" folding her tentacles and trying to hide her fear despite there being no one in the area to see it.

The news crew at the park had honed in on the screens so those not viewing the stations with those particular matches could see these results. As such, the citizens of Earth had hope now that they knew there were only four villains left standing. And of course, this included many heroes from other areas, all of them wishing they had gone to help out too.

Machop smiled wide and said, "Wow, there's only one ultra beast left," Isamu nodding and replying, "I knew they could do it. Those kids never cease to amaze me. They remind me more and more of you and the others."

Of course, Torracat and Decidueye saw this shortly after their match with Xurkitree and Celesteela came to a close. Lycanroc noticed it as well, thus her sadness over Lugarugan's death left her briefly. She was just glad to see that the others had done just as well as she had. And of course, Crabrawler felt the same.

As such, Eevee put on a more serious look and turned back to Lunala and Solgaleo, growling, "Don't patronize me!"

With that in mind, she leapt backward and pressed up against the ropes. She then bounced off and rolled up into a ball, squealing, "FLYING FOX WHEEL!" flying hard into Lunala's gut. Her eyes widened when she actually coughed up a bit of blood from this.

Solgaleo was just about to retaliate only for Eevee to propel herself away from the bat and send a two-legged kick into his chest, saying, "You know, there is an upside to these new forms. Now that your bodies are one hundred percent real and solid, I don't have to aim for your heads anymore."

She leapt toward the turnbuckle and performed a handstand on it. She then spun herself like a twister and flung herself toward the duo while shouting, "SWIRLING MORNING SQUALL!"

Sure enough, she sent a barrage of hits into Solgaleo's chest. Afterwards, she latched her legs to Lunala's neck, flipped backward and flung her high into the air. While the bat could have easily stopped herself with her wings, she was too distracted by just how well the fox had done by herself.

"Sis!" Solgaleo gasped, but just as he was about to rush in and help, Eevee leapt toward him and planted her feet into his forehead. She then propelled herself off of him and flew up to Lunala's height.

Once high enough, the fox flipped three hundred and sixty degrees and struck the bat's skull with her feet, flipping her upside-down. And sure enough, Eevee flipped over herself and wrapped her arms around the bat's waist, shouting, "DAZZLING FOX SUPLEX!"

Solgaleo watched in horror while the back of his sister's head hit the canvas hard and she coughed up more blood. Now she could not help but feel a great deal of fear. Not only had Eevee managed to draw blood from her twice, but she had just delivered the same move that defeated Mapin.

The fox distanced herself from the villains and breathed heavily, a light smile on her face. However, her hope started to leave her when she noticed Popplio had not yet recovered. As such, she gulped and thought, 'Please recover soon. I can only keep this up for so long.'

Solgaleo ran over to Lunala and asked, "You okay, sis?" as she slowly pushed herself up and took a few deep breaths, groaning, "Not really. I thought these forms were supposed to turn us into the biggest threats mankind has ever seen. All it's really done is make us more vulnerable."

"That's not true," the lion retorted as he shook his head, "Look, while it's true that our whole bodies can be hurt now, it doesn't change the fact that we're a lot stronger. Let me ask you something. Did that suplex hurt just as much as Popplio's did back when you were in your original form?"

The bat blinked and uttered, "Now that you mention it, no. It hurt a little bit less," the lion nodding and replying, "Yes, and those hits I took in were nowhere near as bad as when I was Cosmog. Eevee just got lucky, that's it. She's still by herself. We can end this easily."

With that in mind, Lunala grinned and held out her wing, Solgaleo taking hold of the rim. The two then leapt into the air and tilted themselves forward. The lion held out his arm and lashed out his fiery claws, both spinning like a disc and shouting, "SUN AND MOON BLADE!"

They sped toward Eevee who panicked and attempted to dodge. However, they proved too fast and struck her in the gut, blood flying out of her while she cried out in agonizing pain. The added flames from Solgaleo's claws only made it worse, thus she fell on her back and rocked back and forth.

With that, Lunala's confidence returned and thus she flew over the fox with her pendulum at the ready. Solgaleo leapt up to her level and planted his feet into her shoulders. As such, both descended much more quickly and exclaimed, "METEOR GUILLOTINE!"

But just as Eevee was about to take in a strike that would surely end the match for good, Popplio finally recovered as his eyes widened. He wasted no time and propelled himself toward the bat, ramming his tail fin into her midsection. As a result, she reeled back slightly and rose her lower body up, thus her rear end hit Eevee as opposed to her pendulum.

While the fox still took in pain from this, it was nowhere near as bad while Popplio leapt up to Solgaleo's level and spun with his flippers spread out, barking, "CIRCUS PINWHEEL!"

Solgaleo was able to ignore the pain this time as he sent a palm punch toward Popplio. Luckily, the seal saw this coming and distanced himself while Eevee gritted her teeth and wrapped her arms around Lunala's lower body. She then shook it around a bit, causing the bat to vibrate as Solgaleo's eyes widened and he fell off of her shoulders and onto his back. And with that, the fox leapt up and leaned backward, planting Lunala into her brother's gut.

Those watching the match from their homes broke out into heavy cheers and applause. This included the viewers who had watched the other matches since those stations had switched over to this particular one once the others were over.

Eevee rose back to her feet and grinned at Popplio, saying, "Thanks. Even now, I don't know where I'd be without you," the seal nodding and replying, "Oui, but honestly, we probably would have lost if you hadn't done such a bien job while I was out. At least I assume you did considering you managed to last that long."

Eevee laughed nervously and uttered, "All things considered, I did do a lot better against them than I thought I would."

"Yes, you certainly did," Solgaleo grunted as he rose to his feet, Lunala getting up as well and adding, "But don't think that's enough to defeat us. Like you said, we no longer have the invincible torsos, but it doesn't matter when the hits you deal to us are less effective. In the end, all of your efforts will be rendered meaningless."

With that in mind, she flew toward the two with her wings spread out. And soon enough, a dark energy surrounded her and left a stream, making her look more like a beam. She then shouted, "MOONGEIST BEAM!" while Eevee and Popplio were unable to dodge in time. As such, both took in a fierce blow and flew backward with light burns on them.

Solgaleo sped behind them on all fours and sprouted claws from all four of his paws. With that, he leapt up and spun in the circle, shouting, "SOLAR SWIPE TWISTER!" And soon enough, both heroes took fierce slashes to the back as small drops of blood flew out. Both of them had their mouths and eyes wide open and fell flat on their bellies.

"You know, I gotta hand it to you, C- I mean Solgaleo, you may not be able to transform your hands anymore, but I don't think you need to," Lunala said, the lion nodding and replying, "And you don't need that artificial body anymore. Your new abilities are incredible."

"Yeah," the bat replied with a light smile, "I used to think I was awesome for not having to rely on signature moves, but having them is pretty cool."

Eevee slowly pushed herself back up and growled, "Yeah, it is, isn't it?" Popplio joining her and breathing heavily. Lunala and Solgaleo both glared at them as the bat groaned, "Okay, I wanted a reason to show off more skills against you guys, but now I'm sick of this."

Solgaleo nodded and sighed, "I hate to say it, but I agree. How are you two still standing? I know you're supposed to be Tokyo's best, but neither of you look like you should be able to handle this much pain."

"You're right," Eevee remarked with a smirk, "We don't look it, do we? But when you've faced as many tough opponents as we have, you develop more of a tolerance to pain. No matter what you do to us, we're not backing down."

Popplio nodded and patted the fox on the shoulder. After all, he had always admired her spirit, and right now, they both needed it more than ever.

"That's it!" Lunala hissed, "Time to end this!" before spreading out her wing and adding, "One more time, Solgaleo. I'm sure this'll finish them off this time."

The lion nodded and took hold of her wing. She then took to the sky and tilted herself and her brother forward, spinning like a disc while Solgaleo lashed out his fiery claws. They flew forward and shouted, "SUN AND MOON BLADE!"

Eevee and Popplio watched this while the seal narrowed his eyelids and said, "Now." And with that, both leapt into the air just in time to avoid the incoming strike. As such, Lunala and Solgaleo soared right past them as their joined limbs hit the turnbuckle.

This provided just enough of a distraction when Eevee ran behind them and said, "Let's finish them off with a move we used earlier, eh?" the seal nodding while he wrapped his flippers around Solgaleo's waist, the fox doing the same to Lunala.

Both heroes leapt into the air while Eevee latched her legs and tail to her respective opponent. Solgaleo also curled his tail like a spring and bounced high into the air, both flipping one hundred and eighty degrees. Solgaleo knew he would take in much more pain this time when his head was pressed right up against Lunala's pendulum, the bat trying her hardest to escape. However, she and the lion fell too fast and thus she was unable to use her wings to stop their descent.

The heroes spun around and shouted, "TRAMPOLINE FOX TWISTER!" The back of Lunala's head hit the canvas hard while Solgaleo's head was cut open, though Popplio applied just a little bit less force. After all, the last thing he or Eevee wanted was to kill either villain. The Mach family would have never done that and they refused to do it too.

Needless to say, though, it seemed like the match was truly over when both villains coughed up blood and closed their eyes. Eevee and Popplio released their holds and allowed them to collapse, the news crew staring in stunned silence. And of course, the viewers at home were also curious to see if this really was the end.

A minute passed as Eevee slowly approached the villains and waved her paw in front of Lunala's face. She then nudged the side of her head and smiled lightly, saying, "We did it, Popplio. We actually did it."

Upon hearing this, the reporter turned to the camera and said, "Well, ladies and gentlemen, it would appear that the vast majority of the villains threatening the world have been defeated. Eevee and Popplio have bested Cosmog and Cosmoem, who now prefer to be called Solgaleo and Lunala."

Sure enough, the others saw this on the screen projected by Necrozma. Magearna shook her head slowly while Nihilego saw this as a chance to really prove herself. If she could defeat these two, perhaps she could finally prove herself better than the others.

Needless to say, things were certainly looking up for the world. There were only two villains left and six heroes still standing. But would this be enough? Only time would tell.


	100. Chapter 100

Solgaleo and Lunala were handcuffed and dragged off to a Hero Planet ship while Eevee and Popplio watched this with big smiles on their faces. The match had been tough, but in the end, they pulled through. And of course, Eevee could not resist the urge to kiss Popplio on the cheek.

"This is awesome!" the fox squealed, "If what we saw is anything to go by, the only one left to deal with is Nihilego! The world is as good as saved!"

"Oui," Popplio replied with a nod of his head, "I'm sure that no matter who fights her, she'll go down easily, especially if that someone winds up being you."

Eevee chuckled nervously and replied, "Well, it might very well be. I am usually the one who always faces the final villain," before sighing, "Seriously, why is it always me?"

Even so, just as everyone wondered what to do now, various screens appeared in the air once more, only this time it was Magearna's face that everyone saw. Even Nihilego was caught off guard by this while the cyborg blinked and uttered, "I hope this is working. Can you all see me?"

As it so happened, she had just activated a function built into her that was made so she could communicate with allies. But since she had already gone against her purpose by joining the side of evil, this hardly mattered to her.

She then shook her head and frowned, saying, "I have seen the results of the fights so far," Popplio staring and uttering, "Wait a minute, didn't Caterpie defeat her?" Eevee adding, "On that note, was I the only one who saw the chairman fighting with him?"

"I'll admit, I was surprised when I saw how many of my allies have fallen," Magearna stated, "I'd heard that the ultra beasts were a major threat, so to see them fall is disheartening. But even so, I will not give up on the dream I share with my allies! As you probably saw, Necrozma, Cosmog and Cosmoem were also defeated. But I was not."

She then shifted the screen over to the unconscious Caterpie and Metapod being loaded up into the back of an ambulance, those who did not tune into the match shocked by this. While the sight of Metapod on Earth was surprising, the fact that both had lost after the way they defeated Necrozma was hard to take in.

Torracat and Decidueye both stared wide-eyed. Meanwhile, in the mountainous region, Lycanroc pursed her lower lip and whimpered, "Poor Caterpie. I thought for sure he would win in the end."

Crabrawler winced at the sight of this. But of course, Eevee and Popplio were the most terrified. After all, Magearna had finished both fighters off at the same time, just like Nihilego did to her opponents. With both of them still able to fight, one could only guess how things would turn out.

Magearna took a deep breath and stated, "Honestly, though, I would much rather end this sooner than later. As such, I would like to propose one more match to decide Honolulu's fate."

"What!?" Nihilego barked while her body twitched, "Run this by me first!" only for the cyborg to put her at ease when she continued, "Personally, I would like for all of this to be concluded with a single team match between two of the so-called heroes still standing. However, I will discuss this with Nihilego first and see what she thinks. If we come to an agreement, we will let you know all about it by sending a broadcast to the entire world."

The jellyfish folded her tentacles and thought, 'That's better,' before floating away from the beach. She did not even care about Bunnelby and Wobbuffet being taken away on stretchers. What mattered to her was taking care of the remaining heroes standing in her and Magearna's way.

An hour later, the heroes were all in the hospital. Currently, Eevee, Popplio and Lycanroc were in a room where Caterpie and Metapod were next to each other. Needless to say, this was painful to look at.

"Well, on the upside, they both managed to defeat their leader, right?" Eevee asked with a light shrug, Lycanroc nodding and replying, "Yeah, you're right. That had to have been difficult even with both of them working together. I'm just glad neither of them died like-"

However, she cut herself off when light tears formed in her eyes, Popplio enquiring, "Like who? Did someone help you in your match with Kartana and Guzzlord?"

"Now that you mention it, that does make sense," the fox stated, "So, who was it who helped you?" the wolf half-smiling and replying, "You'll never believe it, but Lugarugan came all the way here just to help me out."

While Popplio had a bit of trouble buying this, Eevee smiled and said, "I can believe it. Don't forget, he really did care about you," the seal nodding and adding, "Now that you mention it, he did wish you a good future before he went to prison, Lycanroc."

"He did?" the wolf asked. Since she had not been in the area when he lost to Eevee, she had not heard this. Needless to say, that only made her feel worse about his sacrifice as she let down tears. And of course, neither of her friends needed to ask how the match went. Her sadness alone told them everything they needed to know.

They decided to leave Lycanroc to spend a little more time with Caterpie seeing as he was her boyfriend. But just as they were about to exit, they were shocked to see a mantis in a fancy dress standing right before them. She smiled and bowed her head before saying, "Oh, hello. You must be Eevee and Popplio. I've heard all about you."

"Well, always nice to meet a fan," Eevee replied with a grin, Popplio adding, "I assume you came for a different reason, though, oui?"

"Yes," the Mantarina replied, "I'm Caterpie's mother," the fox and seal gasping before bowing their heads. However, the mantis immediately chuckled and told them that was unnecessary. And after both had a brief conversation, she entered the room and decided to join Lycanroc.

The wolf looked up at her briefly as she smiled and said, "If it's any consolation, he and Metapod did a terrific job. They make me so proud."

This seemed to lift Lycanroc's spirits when she gave Mantarina a smile of her own. Needless to say, she needed some words of encouragement. And as much as she wanted to ask who the mantis was, that last sentence was all she needed to hear.

Eevee and Popplio checked up on Chespin, Litwick, Cyndaquil and Noivern next. Much like Lycanroc, Eevee was just grateful that none of them had died, especially now that she and Popplio knew about Lugarugan's death. Had anyone else suffered the same fate, that would have only made things more difficult to deal with.

And of course, after visiting the others, they went to check up on Umbreon and Scorchicken. Crabrawler stood before them and sighed when he noticed the fox and seal enter. He smiled lightly and said, "Hey there, guys. I saw your victory. You were awesome."

Eevee beamed bright and replied, "Thanks. It looked like you and Drampa did a great job too," before spotting him in a bed and adding, "Though it also looks like he met the same fate as Caterpie and Metapod."

The crab nodded and stated, "Yeah, he did go down in the end, but he was a much better ally than I thought he'd be. He was the one who dealt the finishing blow to Pheromosa."

Popplio chuckled before replying, "I wish I could have seen that," sighing, "So, if Nihilego agrees to only one more match, who do you think she'll pick as her final two opponents?"

Crabrawler shrugged and said, "If anything, I imagine those two would probably pick you guys. Let's face it, you got the toughest opponents out of all of us, so they'll probably want to prove themselves by taking on the best, eh?"

Eevee tensed up and uttered, "The best?" as Popplio laughed and patted her on the shoulder. Even he could not argue with that logic. Besides, Eevee had suspected this would be the case.

The trio of friends went silent, though, when Umbreon murmured, "You know, Eevee, he has a point," and slowly opened her eyes. The group stared in stunned silence as the black fox blinked and uttered, "What's everyone staring at?"

"Oh my god," Crabrawler said before placing his claws against her shoulders, "You're actually awake," Umbreon staring blankly for a few seconds. She then rubbed her head and replied, "Yeah, wow, how am I already awake after all of that? I mean, those two were even worse than Mapin."

After a few seconds, the group decided to accept this while Umbreon smiled at Crabrawler and added, "By the way, good job. I may not have seen it, but the fact that you're still standing tells me you actually won."

The crab grinned in response and replied, "Yeah, I still can't believe I did it. And by the way, I'm still able to use my Power Up Punch."

Eevee and Popplio gave him odd looks until Umbreon explained, "Oh yeah, after his right claw was sewn back on, he lost the ability to use it," before enquiring, "So how are you able to use it?" the crab holding up his left claw, adding, "The funny thing is Grandma Clauncher was never able to expand this one, so I always just assumed I couldn't either."

Umbreon then sighed, "Even if I'm still stuck in the hospital by the time the big match comes around, I'm just glad I'll be awake to see it. Who knows, Crabrawler? Maybe you'll be one of the last two fighters chosen for it."

The crab laughed nervously and felt a tad uncertain about that. He may have felt confident, but a part of him really believed Eevee and Popplio were the better choice for this.

After a little more smalltalk, the duo exited and left Crabrawler to spend a little more time with Umbreon. They then spotted Decidueye and Torracat just finishing a visit to Snowshrew and Trumbeak's room and waved with big smiles on their faces. The owl and cat approached them and congratulated them on their impressive victory.

"You know, Eevee, I already felt fine losing to you in the quarter-finals, but man, after seeing that, I feel even more honoured!" Decidueye stated while Torracat rolled her eyes and sighed, "Seriously, he's been fanboying about you for the last couple of hours."

The fox bit her lower lip and said, "Geez, I'm used to all this attention, but still," before shaking her head and asking, "Hey, once this is all over, well, if the last team ends up winning, would you guys like to join us back in Tokyo for a trip to the Day Club?"

Torracat grinned and replied, "I've never been to a club before. I might be open to that, but I'm not so sure about Decidueye here," only for the owl to fold his arms and retort, "Hey, you know I have nothing against clubs!" sticking his tongue out playfully.

He then smiled and said, "Well, I'm sure that whoever Magearna and Nihilego choose, they'll come out on top, eh?" winking at the two while Torracat nodded and said, "He's convinced that we'll be chosen as the last team. I'd love for that to happen, but I'm not as certain."

Meanwhile, in a cave, Nihilego and Magearna had discussed the idea the cyborg had mentioned earlier. And while the jellyfish would have much rather just blasted through all six remaining heroes, she ultimately agreed to Magearna's terms.

"You know what?" she stated, "I actually don't mind this idea. I mean, if we can at least take down the best of the surviving teams, we'll still be recognized as amazing. Heck, we could even rule without the others."

Magearna blinked and uttered, "Do you really think we can?" as Nihilego added, "Yes. Personally, I think I could easily defeat this last team by myself, but I know how passionate you are about this, so I'll give you some of the glory too. In fact, I'm actually impressed that you of all allies came up with this. I thought you hated fighting."

"I still do," the cyborg uttered, "I really hate that I have to do this, but after seeing what happened to all of our allies, I can't just sit back and let you do all the work. I just want to end this as soon as possible so that I'll never have to resort to such extremes again."

"Your reasoning does come off as a little pathetic, but still, it's nice to know you actually recognize how little choice you have in this situation," the jellyfish replied, "But anyway, I only wish to face the best of these fighters, and I already have our team in mind. So you don't need to worry about that," Magearna hoping her choices would not be too difficult to defeat.

Once evening rolled around, Eevee and the others found a hotel to spend the night in. The last thing they wanted was to overexert themselves. Though once they found out who would fight Nihilego and Magearna, they would be certain to spend whatever amount of time they had preparing for that. Sure, if the jellyfish and cyborg won, they would not just stop at Honolulu and would shoot for the rest of the world, in which many heroes would be ready to stand up to them. But even so, much like Magearna, the remaining heroes would have much rather ended all of this as soon as possible.

Needless to say, none of them had to pay for their rooms. After all, giving them free service was the least the hotel's owner could do in exchange for all of their hard work.

Eevee and Popplio of course shared a room while the fox lay on the bed, sighing, "Man, what a long day this has been."

"Oui," the seal replied with a nod, "I just wish that could have been the final match. Then this would all be over and we'd be on a flight back to Tokyo."

"Yeah," Eevee sighed, "I wonder how the others are-" only for her phone to ring, thus she answered it and said, "Hello."

"Hi, honey," came Flareon's voice as the fox squealed, "Hey, Mom! I wasn't expecting you to call!"

"And why wouldn't I?" the orange fox remarked, "After all, I witnessed a very impressive match on TV today. I have to say, you and Popplio really make for quite the team. It was intense, but you did it."

"Yeah, we really did," Eevee replied with a warm smile, "There's a big chance we might end up fighting Nihilego and Magearna as well," Flareon saying, "Well, if they end up picking you as their opponents, then I feel sorry for them. Their plans will fail for sure."

The brown fox let out a sigh and replied, "I hope so. They both defeated two heroes at the same time. Magearna might have had some help, but Nihilego beat Bunnelby and Wobbuffet by herself. I have to admit, I'm a little nervous."

"Don't be," Flareon replied with a light smile, "Your father and I have always believed in you. You make us so proud. I have no doubt that you and Popplio can easily put those two in their place."

The two continued to talk until Eevee handed the phone over to Popplio. He was a tad nervous talking to his girlfriend's mother at first but quickly eased up. And once the call was over, the duo was ready to go to sleep. After all, tomorrow, they would find out what Nihilego and Magearna had in mind and they needed to be ready for anything.

The night seemed to fly by until morning came around. And while seated for breakfast, everyone was tuned in to make sure they were ready when Nihilego announced her choice. And sure enough, it was not long until the broadcast started.

Sure enough, Nihilego had been approached by a news crew at Diamond Head as she stated, "Alright, citizens of the world, Magearna and I have discussed the plan to decide Honolulu's fate. While I personally think I could easily deal with all six of the heroes who are in good enough condition to fight us, I have agreed to my partner's plan to end it all with just one more deciding match."

Decidueye blinked upon hearing this and uttered, "That's a little disappointing," Torracat shrugging and replying, "Yeah. I would have loved for her to set up a battle royal where teams take turns until there's only one left standing."

The jellyfish continued, "You might think now that Necrozma, Cosmog, Cosmoem and my fellow ultra beasts are defeated that you have nothing to worry about. But to prove that I am better than all of them, I have decided to challenge the ones who defeated the strongest members of our group. You might think I'm referring to Crabrawler and Drampa seeing as they beat Pheromosa and Buzzwole, but you would be wrong, partly because one of those two is in the hospital."

As it so happened, some people in the world had expected that as Nihilego added, "But also, from what I saw from the matches yesterday, I can safely say that Cosmog and Cosmoem proved to be a bigger threat, much to, well, even my surprise. As such, I have decided to challenge Eevee and Popplio, who I have been informed are Tokyo's top heroes."

Eevee and Popplio stared wide-eyed and turned to one-another. As confident as they sounded about being chosen, they were still a little shocked by this. Granted, the odds of them being right when there were only six to choose from were higher than one would expect, but a part of them could not help but wonder if Crabrawler would be one of the two Nihilego decided on.

Lycanroc, however, was not too surprised while she thought, 'I had a feeling they'd pick them. Big mistake. You're gonna wish you hadn't chosen them.'

Crabrawler, all the while, narrowed his eyelids and groaned, "They don't consider me worthy enough? And just as I finally master my new abilities, too."

"I want to face these two at their best, therefor the match will take place tomorrow at ten PM," Nihilego added, Magearna seeming to not like the idea of giving them that much time to prepare, "And naturally, the fight shall take place here on Diamond Head. I expect to see you then."

Magearna took a deep breath and nodded her head but said nothing. And with that, the broadcast came to an end as Eevee turned to Popplio and grinned, saying, "Well, guess we'd better start training, eh?"

The seal nodded and thus both were off to prepare themselves. Needless to say, this would not be easy, but they were sure they could handle this. After all, they were so close to saving the world from this new threat and there was no way they would back down now.


	101. Chapter 101

With less than two days to prepare themselves, Eevee and Popplio were hard at work. They chose to train at a local beach while Crabrawler, Lycanroc, Decidueye and Torracat were there to help out. After all, as long as they were not the ones fighting Nihilego and Magearna, they may as well contribute in some way.

At around eight in the evening, they were in the midst of a team match with Eevee and Popplio. Both spun vertically toward the duo like a wheel and shouted, "DARKEST SPIKE WHEEL!"

Eevee and Popplio were more than ready when the seal rolled toward the cat and owl with Eevee balanced atop him. They swerved to the right as soon as they got close enough before Eevee leapt up and tucked herself into a ball. Thus both rammed themselves into their opponents and shouted, "DOUBLE CIRCUS WHEEL!"

This was enough to knock Decidueye and Torracat on their sides as they ultimately admitted defeat. The owl let out a sigh and said, "You just keep impressing me more and more, Eevee."

"No kidding," Torracat groaned, "Now I can see why you lost to her. Though I have to say, Popplio, you're pretty awesome too. I'm kinda surprised you lost to Bewear."

Popplio chuckled while rubbing the back of his head and replied, "Merci beaucoup," Lycanroc grinning and adding, "Well, I have no doubt in my mind you two are more than ready to take on Nihilego and Magearna. I mean, those two can't possibly be any worse than Cosmog and Cosmoem."

"They go by the names Solgaleo and Lunala now, but yeah," Eevee replied with a grin of her own, "They were probably the toughest opponents we've faced, even more so than Mapin and the Tapu family," Popplio nodding in agreement.

Unbeknownst to them, though, Magearna had been watching them from behind a rock. Seeing just how well the fox and seal worked together was alarming to say the least. As much as she felt confident in her new abilities, she did not want the match to be this difficult, no matter how much Nihilego wanted a real challenge.

With that in mind, she took a deep breath and thought, 'This is going to be so dishonest, but I have to do this. I'm sorry, Nihilego, but I don't enjoy fighting tough opponents like you do. I'm going to have to resort to underhanded tactics if we're to succeed.'

Crabrawler looked up at the sky and said, "Well, I think this might be good enough for today. After all, we don't want you two overworking yourselves, eh?"

Popplio nodded and replied, "Oui. We'll need all the strength we can get for our match," Eevee stretching and adding, "Yeah. We'll just have a nice light dinner, head off to bed and then get in a little extra training before our match tomorrow. The world will be safe soon enough."

With all said and done, Eevee started to head toward the hotel before turning toward Popplio who sat by the water. She blinked and asked, "You coming?" the seal replying, "In a bit. I just have a few things to think about right now."

The fox nodded and asked, "You want me to stay with you?" only for Popplio to smile and reply, "That would be nice, but just because we're a couple doesn't mean you have to feel obligated, you know. I'll join you in a bit, oui?"

Eevee smiled softly and nodded her head before heading off. After all, she really just wanted to lie in bed right now.

All the while, Popplio folded his flippers and thought, 'I wonder what Mama's up to right now. Probably decided to put performing on hold so she could watch moi tomorrow. I should call her later.'

Magearna, meanwhile, stared wide-eyed and thought, 'Wow, I didn't think it would be so easy. This is my chance.'

With that in mind, she pointed a single hand toward Popplio and charged up a beam. The seal noticed this just in time as she shouted, "FLEUR CANNON!" And sure enough, he managed to evade the beam right before it hit him.

He landed firmly against the sand and breathed heavily, barking, "Que se passe-t-il!?" the cyborg stepping out from behind and the rock and sighing, "Darn, you moved."

"Seriously, what are you doing!?" Popplio snapped, "Our match isn't until tomorrow!" as Magearna nodded and replied, "Exactly. My plan is to eliminate one of you so the other will go down with ease tomorrow. We're so close to achieving our goals, and I can't let you ruin that."

Popplio narrowed his eyelids and growled, "Such an underhanded tactic, but deux can play at that game! I'd rather not resort to such a thing, but you've given moi no choice!"

Before the fight could begin, Magearna blinked and enquired, "Why do you only speak French sometimes?" as Popplio shrugged and stated, "Force of habit."

He then leapt toward the cyborg with his flippers out and spun like a drill, barking, "CIRCUS WINDMILL!" And sure enough, Magearna was unable to react in time, thus she took his skull to her chest and fell on her back.

The seal then flipped vertically and shouted, "BOUNCING BALL STRIKE!" before planting his tail into the same spot. However, the cyborg ignored the pain when she remembered how she and Nihilego were the only ones left. As such, she could not afford to mess up.

With that in mind, the pentagon on her dress opened up and revealed her cannon. She then shouted, "BELT CANNON!" Popplio unable to react in time when the a ball of energy shot out and struck him hard in the gut.

This provided a good enough distraction for her to take hold of him and sprout spikes out of the teeth on her gear. She then placed his back up against it and shouted, "SHIFTING BUZZ SAW GEAR!"

Blood flew from Popplio's back while he cried out in agonizing pain. He tried his best to ignore it after a few seconds and whacked the back of Magearna's head with his tail, but ultimately, this proved too much. As such, the cyborg hurled him forward and aimed her hands at him one more time.

"FLEUR CANNON!" she shouted as she unleashed two large beams and hit him hard. This was all it took for Popplio to cough up smoke, burns covering his entire body while his eyes rolled to the back of his head. And with that, he fell flat on his belly and lay there.

Magearna breathed heavily and bowed her head, saying, "I'm sorry I had to resort to that. I know this is disgraceful, but I couldn't let you ruin my plan to create a world where no one will have to fight again. Once it comes into fruition, you'll understand."

She then headed out of the area, hoping someone would notice him lying there. After all, the closest thing she had to a phone was the communication feature she used earlier, and the last thing she wanted was to report an injured hero while the recipient could see her face. If she did that, they would know she was responsible for sure. Though with the citizens of Honolulu all staying inside their houses for their own safety and the heroes ready to call it a night, it was highly likely that Popplio would be there for a long time.

It no longer seemed that way when a news chopper just happened to come by as soon as Magearna left the area. The cameraman looked down and gasped, "Hey, Malie, I just spotted our next big scoop," a female reporter smiling lightly and saying, "Good. Land the helicopter. I wanna see this."

And sure enough, Popplio was soon rushed to the hospital while the woman stood out front and said, "It truly is devastating, folks. Just a mere day before the match to end it all, Popplio is badly injured and rushed to the hospital to join the majority of his friends."

Eevee and the others saw this on the news. And while Lycanroc, Crabrawler, Decidueye and Torracat were mortified by this, Eevee was beyond devastated. She pulled on the sides of her cheeks with her eyes and mouth wide open.

She then got up from her bed and sauntered toward the door. As much as she would have liked to have gone to sleep right now to get in some rest, she could not just sit there after hearing that her boyfriend was viciously assaulted before the match. She had to make sure he was at least okay.

Soon enough, she along with the others made it to the hospital. And when they entered Popplio's room, they were glad to hear that he would be able to recover soon. The bad news, though, was that he would still be unconscious by the time his and Eevee's match came around.

While the others still looked at him with concerned expressions, Eevee sported a more serious look and thought, 'Don't worry, Popplio. I won't let this get me down. I'll have all day to prepare for this match. And besides, I'm sure they'll allow someone else to take your place. I'm just not sure who they'd pick.'

With that in mind, she kissed the seal on the forehead and sighed. She would have stayed longer, but visiting hours had just ended. As such, she and the others headed back.

"I'm so sorry," Lycanroc groaned, "But, you know, Eevee, I'm more than up to fighting alongside you. After all, Magearna hurt Caterpie really badly, so I'd like to give her a piece of my mind."

The fox beamed bright as Crabrawler sighed, "There's just one problem, though. I get the funny feeling Nihilego wants full control over who will fight her tomorrow, so she'll probably pick Popplio's replacement, assuming she's okay with that."

That last sentence got Eevee thinking before a look of anger formed in her eyes. Now there was no doubt in her mind who Popplio's attacker was. With that in mind, she knew how she would go about this. She would train until four o'clock tomorrow and then rest up until ten. Though she also had something else in mind, but what was anyone's guess.

And so once morning came, the fox was up and at it. This time, she was in the forest that she and Popplio fought Solgaleo and Lunala in. She planned to meet up with the others at the beach when noon rolled around, but until then, she figured she may as well let them sleep in.

After a while, she walked over to a rock and smirked, saying, "Alright, you'll be my first target," before leaping toward it in the form of a ball. She rammed into it and shouted, "FLYING FOX WHEEL!"

She grinned when a small dent formed on it. Afterwards, she unleashed all of her other signature moves upon it, ultimately breaking it with her Dazzling Fox Suplex. She then took a few deep breaths and thought, 'I need more rocks.'

With that in mind, she headed to the mountains with an hour to spare before she would need to head to the beach. And with that, she noticed many rocks and thought, 'Well, all of my signature moves are just as effective as ever. Now it's time to try something different.'

And so the hour passed by. And once eleven-thirty rolled around, she headed to the beach, just barely making it before her friends. When all four showed up, she was ready to spar with all of them.

They kept it up for a solid four hours, and soon enough, they were all exhausted. Eevee breathed heavily while Lycanroc grinned and said, "You did a good job keeping up with all of us like that. Though you'd best rest up, eh?"

Eevee nodded before Crabrawler turned to her and asked, "So, do you think you'll be alright fighting alongside either of us? I know you and Popplio had quite a few team moves already thought up."

"I'm sure I'll be fine," Eevee replied with a nod, "I mean, Popplio and I were both unprepared for our first team match, but we still pulled through in the end. I'm pretty sure that no matter which of you guys I get, I'll be able to fight alongside you."

"That's our Eevee," Decidueye said with a grin as he patted her on the shoulder, "I have no doubt everything will be alright. Nihilego and Magearna have no idea what they're in for."

He then added, "By the way, Eevee, I'm almost one hundred percent certain I'll be your partner," Torracat retorting, "No way! They're gonna pick me without question!" the two playfully sticking their tongues out before laughing.

"Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if it was me," Crabrawler stated with a light smile, "I defeated Buzzwole, and, well, he's the most physically strong of all the ultra beasts. Nihilego said she wanted the best opponents, so if anything, she'll probably just assume I'm the best because of that fact alone."

Lycanroc nodded and sighed, "As much as I'd love to get back at Magearna, I wouldn't be surprised if you were right about that. Though none of us could truly replace Popplio. You two are just perfect."

Eevee looked down with a look of slight fear in her eyes when the wolf gasped, "But, you know, we'll still do our absolute best!" a nervous grin on her face.

The fox nodded and replied, "Yeah, you all kick ass. I'm sure whoever I get will be awesome," the group breathing a sigh of relief. The last thing they wanted was for Eevee to lose her fighting spirit.

Meanwhile, Nihilego had bleachers set up as Magearna said, "I'm surprised you're okay with this. I know you and the others weren't exactly open to the idea of fair fights before," the jellyfish shrugging and replying, "When I heard that these fights usually have an audience, I figured it would be more satisfying to have at least some of Honolulu's citizens witness their heroes' failure up close. After all, Eevee and Popplio have quite the reputation. Once this is over, the other ultra beasts will consider me worthy of the same attention Buzzwole and Pheromosa always got."

Magearna blinked and enquired, "May I ask why you're so focused on being better than them? You're all allies, right?" Nihilego replying, "True. The others always told me I did a good job, but I could tell they always considered me the weakest member of the group. The people back then always feared them more than they feared me. Heck, they would often claim every big hero who would stand up against us while leaving me to deal with soldiers in training."

She remembered back in the day when a group of heroes renowned throughout the world challenged the ultra beasts. They were among the few humans who were even able to put up a decent fight against them. Unfortunately, there were only six of them, so Nihilego was told to sit back while the others dealt with these heroes themselves.

The jellyfish remembered another instance where she and the other ultra beasts fought a big army. The others fought against the top-ranked fighters while Nihilego was left with a group of beginners who had no idea what they were doing. And as a result, her victory over them did not feel satisfying.

Back in present time, she sighed, "As if that's not enough, they're still doing that. Bunnelby and Wobbuffet were pathetic," Magearna about to point out that fighting those two was the jellyfish's idea until she continued, "Meanwhile, Buzzwole and Pheromosa have the gall to claim two champions. Cosmog and Cosmoem faced Tokyo's best. I don't know much about the others who were challenged, but I imagine they were much more satisfying opponents than mine!"

Magearna tensed up, a twinge of guilt overtaking her as Nihilego added, "It's not fair. That's why I want the most satisfying final battle. I want the whole world to see how powerful I really am. If either one of them tries to back down, I'll see to it that it doesn't happen. I want to earn this victory."

Now Magearna knew Nihilego would be angry for sure when she found out the truth. A part of her just wanted to confess right now, especially since the jellyfish had not cared enough to seek out a newspaper, not to mention she still did not fully understand how TV worked. And yet Magearna could not bring herself to say what she had done to Popplio. She just hoped that whoever replaced him for the match would be able to satisfy Nihilego enough for her to forgive her.

And with all said and done, the hours seemed to fly by. At around nine, many citizens finally left their homes to head to the location of the match. It had been revealed on the news that there would be bleachers this time and they wanted to be there to support the heroes during all of this. Not to mention they were all curious to see who would replace Popplio.

There was even a woman there to announce the match as she sat behind a podium and stated, "Alright, ladies and gentlemen, we are only an hour away from the match to decide Honolulu's fate! I am Alika and I will be your announcer for this evening!"

Eevee's friends were already in the bleachers, though they all sat at the front. After all, they not only wanted to be up-close but they also needed to be on standby for when Popplio's replacement was finally revealed.

Nihilego watched all of this from behind one set of bleachers and said, "Well, look at all the people who showed up. You were right, Magearna. Lots of people take this sort of thing seriously. Though honestly, all this reminds me of is the fights in Roman coliseums."

The cyborg nodded and replied, "That I agree with. Why people treat this like a sporting event I'll never understand."

All the while, Eevee was busy preparing in the back with fire in her eyes. There was no doubt about it. No matter who her partner was, she would win.

Of course, Flareon and Chanchai were both tuned in as was Primarina. She had already heard the news about her son, but she still wanted to make sure everything would turn out alright. And sure enough, Mantarina was watching in the hospital while seated in Caterpie and Metapod's room.

The hour flew by and soon enough, it was finally time. With that in mind, Alika exclaimed, "Alright, folks, you've all waited long enough, but now it's time for the match to decide the fate of Honolulu and possibly the world as we know it! It's been a long string of matches so far, but this is the final stretch! Will the heroes come out on top or is Honolulu doomed to serve the forces of evil for eternity!?"

The crowd's excitement grew when the woman added, "In the red corner, fighting for the side of evil are two fighters who are a lot stronger than they first seem!" Nihilego folding her tentacles and saying, "Nice to see someone noticed."

Alika added, "One has the power of poison on her side while the other is a mechanical nightmare in the ring! Presenting Nihilego and Magearna!"

The crowd watched silently while the jellyfish sped toward the ring with Magearna slowly walking behind her. Nihilego then leapt into the air and landed on her feet with her tentacles in the air, shouting, "I hope you're all watching because this is the face of your new queen!"

All went silent as she turned toward Magearna and sighed, "Magearna, you were supposed to give a good entrance too," the cyborg whimpering, "Sorry," and making her way over to the ring. Now Nihilego had another reason to be mad at her.

"And in the blue corner," Alika stated, "She has saved Tokyo on several occasions and even made it as far as the Hero Olympics semi-finals! She may not be the strongest among her friends, but she makes up for it with speed, skills and determination!"

"Wait, why isn't she saying anything about Popplio?" Nihilego uttered while Magearna tensed up, the woman adding, "Everyone, give it up for Eevee!"

The crowd went wild when Eevee approached the ring with a serious look in her eyes. Now Nihilego was even more confused as she performed a series of somersaults forward and leapt into the air, landing perfectly on her feet. She then smirked and said, "No matter who you pick, I'll make sure your plan fails, Nihilego!"

The cheers came to a halt when the jellyfish retorted, "What are you talking about!? What plan!? And where's your partner!? There's no way I'm only fighting you, well, unless Magearna exits the ring!"

The cyborg trembled as Eevee remarked, "Don't play dumb with me! I know for a fact that it was-" before remembering the others words Nihilego said and uttering, "Wait, you weren't the one who hospitalized him yesterday?"

Nihilego needed ten seconds to take all of that in. After all, this was the first she had heard of this, and it was even more annoying when she noticed everyone in the crowd knew exactly what Eevee was talking about. As such, the jellyfish folded her tentacles and sighed, "No, no I didn't, but I think I might know who did," turning toward Magearna.

Seeing the cyborg panic in response to this was all everyone needed to see as Lycanroc snapped, "So it wasn't enough to badly injure Caterpie!?" Decidueye shouting, "That is low, even for a villain!"

"Yes," Nihilego growled, "I thought I told you I wanted to earn this victory!" Magearna whimpering, "I'm so sorry. It's just that, well, they had such good chemistry when I saw them training-"

"That's the kind of fight I want!" Nihilego snapped, Eevee uttering, "Wow, Nihilego, you're more honourable than I thought."

"Don't get the wrong idea," Nihilego remarked, "Had it been me, I wouldn't have minded that. At least then I can boast that I took down your partner all by myself. No, I wanted a challenging fight to prove just how strong I really am to the world."

Magearna whimpered, "I'll leave the ring and let you-" only for the jellyfish to remark, "No. The plan was one more team match to end it all, and I will stick to that plan. As such, I'll pick the second-best choice here," Crabrawler blinking and uttering, "Oh my god, was I actually right?"

But just as the jellyfish was about to choose him, a familiar voice entered the area and snapped, "Not so fast! If anyone's gonna fight alongside Eevee in this match, it's me!" everyone turning toward the Northern side of the area and seeing the owner of the voice.

Eevee's eyes widened and her jaw dropped while no one else could believe this either. However, Nihilego looked intrigued while Magearna tensed up. But just who was it who had just volunteered to replace Popplio was Eevee's partner?


	102. Chapter 102

Just as it looked like Crabrawler would be Eevee's partner for the match, someone else had arrived to fight in his place. And when everyone turned to see who it was, sure enough, Umbreon stood right there with her black T-shirt and white bracelets on. And while the crowd should have been excited, they were much more confused as they had all expected her to still be in the hospital.

And of course, Magearna could not help but feel the same as she shook her head and uttered, "Why are you here?" Nihilego retorting, "Quiet! Look, I don't know how you recovered so quickly from a fight with Buzzwole and Pheromosa, but this is perfect."

Eevee and her friends, however, stared with concern while Eevee uttered, "Umbreon, it's great that you're able to come here, but are you sure you should be fighting again? I mean, it took you a fairly long time to recover from your match with Scorchicken."

"That's true," Umbreon sighed with her arms folded, "But when I heard that Popplio was unconscious, I was not going to just lay there and let you fight these two unprepared. Maybe it was my spirit, but all the pain I suffered earlier is gone."

This was all the crowd needed to hear as they broke out into heavy cheers and applause. Lycanroc still could not figure out how that worked, but this hardly mattered. If Umbreon really was in good enough condition to help out, there was no need to question it. Eevee could not have asked for a better ally.

The brown fox stared silently while Nihilego turned to Magearna and said, "I take back what I said earlier. I think you just made things better. Popplio may have been a good ally for her, but he wasn't in the Olympic finals. Now I have an even greater challenge."

That was what worried the cyborg most of all. Now she knew she would have to use more power to win, though she was glad that Nihilego was no longer upset with her. And in the end, she was still certain they could win. After all, Umbreon had lost to Buzzwole and Pheromosa.

When the black fox entered the ring, Eevee asked, "So you're absolutely sure-" only for Umbreon to rest her paws on her shoulders and sigh, "Yes, Eevee, I'm fine. Besides, ever since I heard of your improvements, I've wanted a chance to fight alongside you in a team match. If anything, I couldn't be happier to have this opportunity."

Seeing the sincerity in her eyes, Eevee smiled and nodded with a big smile. A part of her had wanted that ever since she and Umbreon started to get along. Besides, both knew each other's abilities really well, so perhaps this could work out despite the two having not trained for this match.

With all said and done, both foxes struck fighting stances while the crowd cheered wildly, Decidueye shouting, "Yeah, kick their asses!" Torracat adding, "This is gonna be awesome!"

Lycanroc nodded with a big smile while Crabrawler said, "Umbreon's right. Eevee couldn't have asked for a better ally."

And of course, Flareon and Chanchai's excitement grew significantly. Now both of their daughters would fight for the fate of the world. They could not have been more proud.

"Well, it would seem the combatants are set," Alika stated, "Therefor we shall begin the match!" ringing the bell and signalling the start.

Eevee and Umbreon both held their ground. While the black fox normally rushed in, she felt as if Popplio's usual fighting method made more sense. And this was all Nihilego needed to see as she turned to Magearna and whispered, "Look at that. They're trying to get us to lower our guard, but we're not going to fall for that."

"We're not?" the cyborg uttered before Nihilego shook her head and replied, "No, we're going to turn their plan against them. You're one of the few fighters in the world with long-ranged attacks, right?"

Magearna nodded and understood what the jellyfish meant. As much as it pained her, she knew she had to rely on these moves if she was to help out as best as she could. She did not hold back against Popplio and she would not do so now.

With that in mind, she held out her hands and opened them up before pink lights formed. Seeing this, Eevee bit her lower lip while Umbreon nodded at her. And when Magearna shouted, "FLEUR CANNON!" and unleashed the beams, both foxes leapt over the beams as Nihilego jumped toward them with her tentacles spread out, saying, "I knew you'd do that."

But when she rammed her tentacles into the foxes' necks, she gasped in shock when both ignored the pain and latched onto them. Umbreon had her dark aura around her neck, so it made sense that she barely felt it, though Eevee's resistance was more due to a boost in confidence.

"Something worth note is that there's a reason we both have such a good reputation," Eevee stated as Umbreon nodded and added, "I admire your desire for a real challenge, but you might have set your goals too high."

Nihilego struggled to free herself but was unable to. Thus the foxes used all their might to force her downward and ram her hard into Magearna. The cyborg gasped and fell on her back, the jellyfish taking in just as much pain due to the fact that she had just collided with metal.

The crowd cheered wildly while Alika exclaimed, "And Eevee and Umbreon are off to an amazing start! Both ignore a clothesline and turn Nihilego against her own ally! These two villains certainly can't take them lightly, folks!"

"Way to go!" Lycanroc shouted with a big smile, "I've never seen a counter like that!" Decidueye uttering, "Me neither. I hate to say it, but these two might be better than us," Torracat biting her lip.

Magearna was horrified as she groaned, "Oh no, they avoided my beams," only for Nihilego to sigh, "Don't let that get to you. All that means is that they really are the challenge I was hoping for. Once we inevitably defeat them, the world will fear us even more."

The cyborg nodded before both rose to their feet. All the while, Eevee and Umbreon rushed toward them with their paws at the ready. However, Nihilego was more than prepared for this.

Once they were close enough, she wrapped a tentacle around each one's arm. Both were unable to respond in time while she spun around like a carousel. And once she built up enough momentum, she hurled both heroes into separate turnbuckles.

Nihilego hovered into the air and descended toward Umbreon with her feet pointed straight at her. Seeing this, Magearna nodded and saw an opportunity to finally do something of substance. As such, she leapt toward Eevee with her skull pointed toward her and moved her gear around, shouting, "SHIFT GEAR!"

The fox squeaked in panic and leapt out of the way. However, Magearna was prepared for this and thus activated the rockets in her feet and swerved around, striking the brown fox in the gut. The crowd watched in horror when a bruise formed on that very spot, Umbreon taking in Nihilego's kick and gasping, "EEVEE!"

"You should pay attention to me instead," Nihilego grunted before sending a barrage of slaps into the black fox's face. After delivering twenty, she latched onto Umbreon and lashed out a small purple claw from each tentacle. And with that, she planted them into her and shouted, "POISON STINGERS!"

But just as she felt fully confident, that confidence seemed to fade when she suddenly noticed a dark aura covering Umbreon's body. She smirked and said, "Nice try, but poison won't work on me."

Nihilego gasped when the black fox wrapped her arms around her and leaned backward, planting her skull into the canvas. And once the jellyfish let her go, she leapt toward Magearna and sent her feet hard into her waist. As a result, she wound up falling on her side and thus Eevee was free while the crowd cheered.

"Things were looking rough, but Umbreon manages to turn things around with her powers of darkness," Alika stated as the black fox smiled at Eevee and asked, "You alright?"

The brown fox nodded with a grin while Nihilego rose back to her feet and stared at Umbreon. While she had wanted a challenge, she had to admit that her power was slightly inconvenient. However, she then imagined the other ultra beasts taunting her for letting this get to her and thus shook her head and thought, 'Big deal. I can make up for this easily.'

With that in mind, she drifted over to Magearna and asked, "Are you okay?" the cyborg pushing herself up and nodding. However, she was starting to have her doubts. While Metapod and Caterpie were tough, she could already tell Umbreon was far worse just from the couple of hits she had taken in. But even so, she could not allow herself to be beaten this easily.

Much like Nihilego with the ultra beasts, she could just imagine Necrozma shaking his head in disappointment. With him out cold, she had to make sure her dream would be achieved without his help. And with that in mind, she took a deep breath and revealed the cannon in her hexagon.

"BELT CANNON!" she shouted as she unleashed a ball of energy toward Umbreon. The black fox was unable to respond this time, thus she found herself engulfed in an explosion. Eevee gasped, "Umbreon!" only for Nihilego to take full advantage of this and fly toward her, ramming her skull into her gut.

She then wrapped her tentacles around the brown fox and flew into the air before leaning backward. And sure enough, the back of Eevee's head hit the canvas hard as she gasped. The crowd watched in horror until Umbreon emerged from the smoke surrounding her. And while she was covered in burns, she managed to ignore it and send her elbow into the spellbound Magearna's chest.

While the cyborg gasped in pain, Eevee did her best to ignore the blow to her head before wrapping her legs around Nihilego's waist. She then placed her paws firmly against the mat and pushed herself up, the jellyfish shocked that she was able to pull this off. And once high enough, the brown fox flipped one hundred and eighty degrees, Nihilego's back hitting the canvas hard while the crowd cheered.

"And Umbreon and Eevee ignore Magearna and Nihilego's moves," Alika stated, "Not only that, but they also respond with their own moves, Eevee pulling off an incredible counter."

Lycanroc grinned and said, "Leave it to Eevee and Umbreon to turn things around," Crabrawler adding, "Yeah. I'm sure you guys are able to do that a lot, but those two are great when it comes to that."

Things did not end there when Eevee sent a few palm punches into Nihilego's face. She noticed the jellyfish shift her tentacles and reveal her claws, thus she leapt off of her just in time to avoid them.

The crowd continued to cheer while Umbreon leapt up and latched her legs to Magearna's shoulders. She then propelled herself into the air and leaned forward, grabbing the cyborg's ankles. She flipped one hundred and eighty degrees so Magearna's face was aimed at the canvas. The cheers got louder as she planted that very spot into the canvas and shouted, "LUNAR CRASH!"

Magearna groaned from the pain and thought, 'That's much worse than Caterpie and Metapod's abilities,' Crabrawler giving his friend a round of applause. And of course, Nihilego would not let this stand as she secreted acid from her tentacles and spun in a circle, shouting, "ACID SPRAY!"

Seeing this, Eevee squeaked, "UMBREON, LOOK OUT!" leaping out of the way only to for her feet to take in a bit of the substance. As such, she started to burn there as she winced and fell on her back.

Umbreon met a similar fate when she leapt to the side too late to avoid a hit to her waist. As such, she fell on her side and groaned, Magearna not having a reaction to it. After all, she was made from Hero Planet's own metal, so she could handle acid.

Regardless, she and Nihilego now had a chance to turn things back in their favour. As such, the cyborg activated her rockets and used them to fly over Umbreon. After that, she pointed her hands into the air and shouted, "FLEUR METEORITE!" using her beams to descend more quickly. And sure enough, her feet hit the black fox hard in the gut, thus she coughed up blood for the first time in the match.

The crowd gasped while Alika groaned, "And just when things were looking really good for the sisters, Nihilego makes them sitting ducks with an array of acid!" Nihilego flying toward Eevee and grunting, "This is for making my suplex look weak!"

She then planted her feet into Eevee's gut before wrapping them around her hips. She leapt high into the air and flipped two hundred and seventy degrees, shouting, "TENTACLE LEG DRIVER!"

And sure enough, Eevee's skull hit the mat hard as Decidueye and Torracat winced, Lycanroc biting her lower lip and uttering, "It's fine. If I know them, they'll get up from this easily."

However, that was starting to look less likely since Nihilego did not end her assault on Eevee. She sent a variety of jabs with her tentacles to her face while binding her in place with her legs and shouted, "SEE HOW YOU LIKE IT!"

Magearna of course did not want to be a burden on her and as such, she did the same with her feet. While she was unable to pull off the same speed as Pheromosa, she still delivered rapid kicks to Umbreon's chest, saying, "I'm sorry for this, but if you knew why I had to fight, you'd understand."

However, she was caught off guard when a dark aura surrounded the black fox's torso. As such, Umbreon was now able to ignore the pain as she grabbed hold of Magearna's ankles. She then rose to her feet and planted the cyborg's back into the canvas, growling, "No matter what your reasoning is, there is no excuse to try and enslave mankind!"

Before Magearna could respond, the black fox lifted her up and swung her around, releasing her hold and sending her careening toward Nihilego. The jellyfish dodged just in time to avoid the incoming cyborg, Magearna's head colliding with the turnbuckle. However, this allowed Eevee to rise back up as she used her arms to push her lower body up and send her feet into Nihilego's gut.

The crowd cheered while Alika stated, "Eevee and Umbreon looked like sitting ducks, but they manage to get the advantage back thanks to the help of the older sister. It's truly amazing how they're able to do that, isn't it?"

At this moment, though, Eevee bit her lower lip with a pained expression on her face. Umbreon noticed this and uttered, "Sis, are you-?"

However, she was soon cut off when Magearna rose to her feet. Her eyes turned a darker shade of red despite the fact that she had not been cut open and thus she pointed her arms forward. It did not end there as she revealed her cannon and flipped her ears around, putting them both together to form a whole disc that was able to reflect the moon's rays. As such, four lights shone from her, each with a different colour while she shouted in a more robotic tone, "TRI CANNON BLAST!"

Nihilego stared in shock when all four beams fired toward the foxes. Eevee squeaked in panic only for Umbreon to leap in front of her and fold her arms in front of her face, her entire body engulfed in darkness. And sure enough, she still took in a lot of force from the beams and flew backward, her and Eevee careening into the ropes.

The material stretched back really far and started to give way. Everyone watched in fear and alarm when the ropes soon snapped open, thus the beams finally faded and the foxes fell on their backs. And while Eevee was not covered in burns like her sister, she still took in a great deal of pain from this.

No one had any idea what to say to this while Nihilego stared in horror. While she should have been grateful for this, it looked as if Magearna had already defeated them. And of course, this completely ruined the jellyfish's plan to deliver the final blow.

The area went silent for half a minute. Lycanroc shook her head while Crabrawler refused to believe it could possibly be over that quickly. Decidueye and Torracat were just as frightened.

However, while Chanchai was just as worried as the others, Flareon folded her arms and said, "Chin up, honey. If I know my daughters, that big explosion was not enough to defeat them," the man sighing, "I think you might be right, but come on, I'm a dad. I can't help but worry about them."

After a while, Nihilego turned toward Magearna who tensed up. Even so, the jellyfish would have been foolish to wake them up and as such, Alika gulped and uttered, "And, well, after a surprisingly short match, it would seem our winners are-"

"Hold it!" Umbreon snapped as everyone gasped in shock, Lycanroc sighing, "I knew it."

And sure enough, both foxes rose to their feet, though Eevee still did not look completely focused right now. Even so, Umbreon was as she pointed and snapped, "Don't think for a minute that even a barrage of beams could finish us off!"

Magearna was even more terrified while Nihilego folded her tentacles and breathed a sigh of relief. If anything, the fact that they had made a full recovery only made them more worthy of her time and effort. But right now, Magearna could not think like that, thus she uttered, "How did you-?"

"First off, you used that move way too soon," Umbreon stated, "Also, my power of darkness strengthens any part of my body that it covers, and since it was covering all of me, it reduced the amount of damage I took in. The only problem is that if I cover my whole body, it weakens the aura to a certain degree, but with an attack like that, it was better to play it safe."

The crowd went wild as the black fox was just about to enter the ring. However, she then turned to Eevee, noticed her lack of focus and sighed, "Oh right," before asking, "Eevee, what's wrong? You had that same look on your face when I saved you from Nihilego earlier."

"That's just it," Eevee whimpered, "So far, you've bailed me out of a lot of tight spots and I haven't really had to help you out with anything. I thought I really was worthy to fight alongside you, but-"

"Don't finish that," Umbreon sighed with a smirk, "It's like I told you, sis. I'm proud of you. You're so much better than I ever would have imagined you would be. So I still have to help you out every now and then. That's what older sisters do. It's nothing to be ashamed of."

Eevee's eyes sparkled as Nihilego sighed, "Yes, that is very nice, but can we please continue our fight?" the black fox nodding and remarking, "Yeah, yeah, don't get your tentacles in a knot."

And with all said and done, the foxes leapt back into the ring and prepared themselves for more. While Magearna's lasers certainly made them weaker, thanks to Umbreon's powers, they still had more than enough strength to keep going. But would this be enough or were they only delaying the inevitable?


	103. Chapter 103

While Nihilego was relieved to see that Eevee and Umbreon still had fight left in them, Magearna could not have been more nervous. She had just unleashed her best move on them and they not only survived but, thanks to Umbreon, they did not take in nearly as much damage as they should have. Now she had to rely on Nihilego to help out as best as she could, and so far, she had not been quite as good as the cyborg had hoped.

Even so, she took a deep breath and thought, 'No, it's fine. Even though Umbreon weakened the impact, it still looks like she took in a lot of damage from it regardless. Maybe this will still turn out okay in the end.'

Umbreon smiled at Eevee who returned the gesture and nodded. While she had lost a bit of her confidence for a moment, it was back and that was all that mattered.

"It was a real close call, folks, but Eevee and Umbreon are back up and ready for more," Alika stated, "Can they make up for Magearna's big blast earlier? I have no doubt they can, but let's wait and see!"

The foxes would certainly need to act fast when Nihilego flew toward them with her tentacles out, saying, "Thanks for softening them up, but I can handle things from here," only for Eevee and Umbreon to leap to the side and send simultaneous roundhouses into the sides of her head.

Magearna gasped and rocketed herself toward them. She then sprouted spikes from her gear and spun it around, shouting, "SHIFTING BUZZ SAW GEAR!" Eevee and Umbreon were more than ready for this, thus they leapt over her just in time. Umbreon covered her arm in her dark aura and rammed her elbow into the back of the cyborg's neck while Eevee planted a two-legged kick into her back.

As such, Magearna fell flat on her face while the crowd cheered wildly. Flareon and Chanchai both clapped as the man said, "I wish I could have seen that up close," the orange fox sighing, "Me too."

Lycanroc grinned and shouted, "Way to go!" Crabrawler saying, "I knew they could turn this around. They have a knack for getting out of tight spots like this."

It did not end there when Nihilego sprayed acid toward them again, shouting, "ACID SPRAY!" Though this time the foxes were definitely ready and thus leapt backwards toward the turnbuckle. Umbreon held onto the top and asked, "You think you can pull this off, Eevee?" the brown fox nodding and replying, "Yeah. I think I know where you're going with this."

The black fox started to swerve her body in a circular motion as the acid hit the pole instead. Her body became like a disc while Eevee leapt onto her back and spun with her, forming her twister form. At that moment, Magearna rose up only for her eyes to widen while Umbreon released her hold and spun toward her and Nihilego. A large gust of black and brown wind swirled around the two as it seemed Eevee's contribution did indeed make the move stronger.

"SWIRLING DUSK AND DAWN TWISTER BLADE!" both shouted as they flew into Magearna's midsection. She gasped and coughed up a mixture of oil and blood, flying backwards into Nihilego while both fell on their backs.

The crowd continued to cheer when Eevee and Umbreon shared a high five, the brown fox squealing, "Wow! I can't believe that worked as well as it did!"

Umbreon nodded and stated, "I had a feeling you'd be able to catch on quickly," Eevee uttering, "I wasn't completely sure of that. It's just that, well, when I first tried to use team moves with Popplio, they didn't really work all that well."

Umbreon blinked and stared silently for a few seconds. But in the end, she decided not to question this. The important thing was that their first team move worked even better than expected.

"Eevee and Umbreon are on fire!" Alika exclaimed with a grin, "After taking in extreme punishment, they've made an incredible comeback! But I have a feeling this match isn't quite over yet!"

And it seemed she was right when Magearna rose to her feet and gasped, "Nihilego, are you okay?" the jellyfish slowly pushing herself up and grunting, "Don't worry about me! I'm strong, remember!?"

However, deep down, she really had no idea what to do. As much as it pained her to admit it, she was nowhere near Buzzwole's level. All this time, she wanted to prove herself at least as strong as he was and yet so far, Magearna had done much more than she had.

Even so, she could not allow this to get to her as she thought, 'Wait, I can use Magearna's strength to help me. As long as we beat them together using my strategy, I'll still come out looking better than her. Yes, it's perfect.'

With that in mind, she turned toward the cyborg and said, "Magearna, follow my lead. I know how we can get the advantage back," Magearna nodding. At this point, she could use any ideas.

"As if we'd let you!" Eevee retorted before she and Umbreon raced toward them. But just as they were ready to attack, Nihilego had Magearna leap up so she could take hold of her feet with one tentacle. She then said, "Bring out those spikes of yours," the cyborg nodding and doing just that, spinning her gear around.

Once the foxes were close enough, the jellyfish shouted, "SHIFTING GEAR SWORD!" and swung her partner sideways. Sure enough, her spikes managed to strike Eevee and Umbreon just in time to stop their attack, small cuts forming on their guts.

Magearna smiled and said, "Wow, that was brilliant," Nihilego thinking, 'That actually worked. See that, Buzzwole? I'm not the only one who can use my ally as a weapon.'

She then leapt onto Magearna's back and said, "Now use those flames in your feet and head straight for them," the cyborg activating her rockets and tilting herself forward. The crowd started to panic when Nihilego lashed out her claws and shouted, "WITCH BROOM POISON STINGERS!"

This time Eevee and Umbreon were ready as the brown fox rolled up into a ball and propelled herself into the air. Umbreon took hold of her and reeled her arm back before shouting, "FLYING FOX SHOT PUT!" She then hurled the brown fox forward while she spun vertically toward Nihilego.

The jellyfish was unable to respond in time to avoid the fierce blow to her gut. As such, she flew off of Magearna's back while Eevee wrapped her arms, legs and tail around her. She then spun like a twister, descended toward the mat and shouted, "BINDING FOX TWISTER!"

While Nihilego's skull made contact with the mat, Umbreon leapt up with her arms and legs covered by her dark aura. She then planted all four of her paws into Magearna's back and tilted her downward, shouting, "SOARING RAVEN!" And sure enough, the cyborg met a similar fate to Nihilego's while the crowd went wild.

"That was awesome!" Lycanroc exclaimed, Decidueye and Torracat clapping and whistling in admiration. Needless to say, things could not have looked better for the sisters now.

Flareon and Chanchai held hands and squealed with excitement. And during all of this back in Tokyo, Machop and Isamu did the same, the woman saying, "Wow, that puts Torchic and I to shame. I thought Eevee and Popplio were awesome, but man, this is just incredible."

Isamu nodded and replied, "I know. And to think, those two used to resent each other. I had a feeling those two would make the best team for this match, but now I know for sure that they can win this."

Nihilego sprang to her feet after Eevee released her, but even so, she was breathing heavily with the ends of her tentacles rolled up like fists. And to make matters worse for her, Magearna looked rather shaken up as well. Could it be that Eevee and Umbreon really were too strong for them?

At that moment, she imagined all six of the other ultra beasts appearing before her, Kartana in the form of a ghost. She could see them all pointing and laughing at her, taunting and teasing her for even thinking she could measure up to their level. As much as she wanted a satisfying and challenging team to face, she did not expect them to be better than her. Perhaps she was in over her head.

"No," she uttered as Eevee and Umbreon stared at her, "This isn't how it was supposed to go. The whole reason I wanted the most challenging team was to prove that I was at least on the level of the other ultra beasts, then they would no longer view me as that weak link who can only deal with other weaklings! I was supposed to win and show the world how fearsome I really am!"

Eevee blinked and uttered, "Seriously?" Nihilego breathing heavily and growling, "You wouldn't know what that's like! You have a stellar reputation! Despite your lack of muscles, you've had an incredible track record, so you've probably received praise since your first fight!"

The brown fox was about to retort only for the jellyfish to growl, "Well, no more! I can't accept this! It's just not fair! For years, Buzzwole and Pheromosa have always appointed themselves to take on the strongest of fighters! Now I finally get that opportunity and it bites me in the back! But no! I am better than that muscle-bound vampire, and today's the day I prove it!"

Magearna trembled since even she was frightened right now. She should have been happy to see her partner show so much spirit, but this worried her. It looked as if Nihilego might lose control.

However, the crowd stared in stunned silence when suddenly, Nihilego's head expanded and became more like a large bubble. As if that was not enough, her tentacles spread out and she now had eight as opposed to six, four of which represented legs. Though the strangest change was yet to come when a purple and black version of Buzzwole appeared inside of her, her tentacles becoming much more muscular as a result.

Everyone stared while Alika uttered, "And in a shocking turn of events, Nihilego has just changed her form. But what this means for our heroes is yet to be seen."

Lycanroc tensed up and gulped, "Did she just become more powerful?" Crabrawler sighing, "Seems that way. Lord knows what she's capable of now."

Popplio was still asleep but could hear all of this on the TV. And this allowed him to visualize every moment perfectly while he twitched under the covers. If only he could move, then he could head to Diamond Head and help Eevee just like he had when she fought Mapin.

Nihilego looked down at her tentacles, seeing Buzzwole's arms in the upper two. She implied a smirk with her new eyes and exclaimed, "Yes! Look at this! All my life, I've wanted Buzzwole's strength, and now I finally have it! This is amazing!"

Magearna blinked and said, "Now we stand more of a chance," the jellyfish nodding and replying, "You mean I stand more of a chance. I thank you for your assistance, but I can take these two by myself, so go give yourself a break."

The audience stared silently while the cyborg blinked and uttered, "What?" In response, the jellyfish folded her tentacles and sighed, "You heard me. I said I don't need your help anymore. Besides, you hate fighting, don't you?"

Magearna slowly nodded her head and walked toward the side of the ring, saying, "Okay," Umbreon and Eevee staring at this. Was what Nihilego said true? Did Magearna really hate fighting?

Now Umbreon's curiosity reached its peak, thus she held out her arm and said, "Wait," Magearna stopping as Nihilego folded her tentacles and asked tauntingly, "Oh? Are you going to surrender because of my new strength?"

The black fox shot her a glare before turning to Magearna and enquiring, "Now I have to know. Why do you fight us if you hate fighting so much? You said you had a good reason for it, and I need to know before we continue."

Magearna took a deep breath and sighed, "It's because I was made by Hero Planet scientists for the soul purpose of helping out in the battles on Earth," everyone staring in shock as Eevee spat, "Is that true!?"

Lycanroc blinked and uttered, "Wow. That's a lot of pressure to put on someone," Decidueye folding his wings and sighing, "No kidding. They should have at least given her a choice. I wonder if the chairman knew about this."

Umbreon, however, stared awkwardly for a few seconds before retorting, "Okay, so you hated the idea that you were made for war, in a matter of speaking! Then why the hell would you try to enslave mankind!? It's pretty obvious you have enough of a conscience to go against your primary objective!"

"It's because I wanted to create a world where people wouldn't have to fight anymore," Magearna whimpered, "I figured if I helped the villains take over, all of the fighting would come to an end."

"Well, you weren't completely wrong in that assumption," Eevee sighed, "If we did let the villains succeed and take control, the fighting would probably stop, but at what cost?" the cyborg staring until she added, "Really think about it. We're not just talking about ending all conflict. Were talking about forcing mankind into a life of servitude. You actually have a mind of your own, so instead of using it to fight, why not just use it to be friends with people and live a peaceful life? You could just kick back and let us deal with the forces of evil. We don't mind doing it if it means people like you can still have their freedom."

Magearna's eyes widened while Nihilego glared at her and growled, "Are you going to listen to her!?" However, she tensed up slightly when the cyborg turned to face her and sighed, "I'm sorry, Nihilego, but they're right. Besides, your reason for fighting isn't even an issue anymore. You and the other ultra beasts all wanted revenge on mankind for the way they mistreated you in the past, but that's not the case anymore. Can't you just embrace the present?"

Eevee and Umbreon nodded with a light smiles as the black fox sighed, "It's not too late, Nihilego. With how often villains switch sides in this day and age, I'm sure the world would be happy to give you a chance."

However, Nihilego had heard enough. As such, she spat, "NO! YOU WILL NOT RUIN MY MOMENT OF TRIUMPH!" flying toward the foxes with her tentacles out and ramming them into their necks. She also added to the pain by sending her lower ones into their midsections, Eevee and Umbreon coughing up blood and falling on their backs.

"Look at that!" Nihilego exclaimed, "I really am as strong as Buzzwole! In your face, you goddamned meat-head!"

Seeing this, Magearna stared at the jellyfish and uttered, "I see now. They were never the enemy. You, Necrozma and all the others were the true bad guys and I let you use me for your own benefit. It's time that I set things right and make up for all of that."

With that in mind, she once again pointed her arms forward while connecting her disc halves together and revealing her cannon, saying, "This will be my last fight." She then charged them up and shouted, "TRI CANNON BLAST!" unleashing all four blasts of energy.

Just as the crowd was ready to cheer her on, they gasped when they saw Nihilego easily dodge to the side. She then flew toward the cyborg and sent a hard punch into her face. She unloaded an onslaught, covering her in dents while she coughed up blood and oil.

Everyone watched in horror when Nihilego proceeded to wrap her tentacles around Magearna and take to the sky, saying, "You're right. This is your last fight." She then leaned backward and shouted, "MUSCULAR JELLYFISH SUPLEX!" planting the back of the cyborg's head hard into the canvas.

Magearna's eyes and mouth were wide open as she coughed up one last bit of oil and blood. Her eyes then turned grey while she uttered, "I have been defeated. Powering down," and thus she lost all consciousness while Nihilego released her hold and allowed her to collapse.

The jellyfish looked at her new tentacles and flexed her muscles with an implied smile, saying, "This is incredible. I think I might actually be stronger than Buzzwole. They'll have to recognize me as a worthy addition to the team now."

Panic filled the area while Eevee and Umbreon slowly rose back to their feet. It was truly amazing. Both had only taken in one hit from Nihilego's new form and yet they already looked shaken up. Was this really it?

"Nihilego was already a threat before, but now she's a true terror of the ring," Alika stated, "Can Eevee and Umbreon succeed where Magearna has failed?"

Nihilego turned to face them and said, "You should just surrender right now. It's obvious that neither of you can stand up to me. I'm far too powerful in this state."

"Even if you are, that doesn't mean we'll give up," Umbreon retorted with her eyes narrowed, "We've both faced many powerful adversaries over the past."

"That's right," Eevee added, "No matter what comes our way, we never give up. Besides, we're still together while you're fighting by yourself."

Silence filled the area as Nihilego had to admit the brown fox had a point. But even so, she took a deep breath and folded her tentacles, remarking, "Be that as it may, I'm now strong enough that I don't need help anymore. You two put up a good fight before, but now you don't stand a chance against me!"

With that in mind, she lifted up the cyborg and hurled her toward the ropes that she had blasted open earlier. And sure enough, Magearna's unconscious body soon hit the ground beside the ring while Decidueye and Torracat leapt out of their seats and sped over to her. Both helped her up and dragged her away from the ring, resting her up against the side of the bleachers and looking at the ring with serious look in their eyes.

Lycanroc and Crabrawler had the same look since they really hoped Eevee and Umbreon had what it took to win this match. After all, Magearna had fallen to Nihilego's power with incredible ease. Right now, the world needed a miracle, and the sisters were the only ones they knew could possibly pull such a thing off.


	104. Chapter 104

Things had certainly gotten interesting to say the least. While Nihilego was now outnumbered two to one, it hardly seemed to matter now that she had merged her power with that of Buzzwole. But even so, Eevee and Umbreon would not give up no matter what.

With that in mind, both leapt toward the turnbuckle while Umbreon latched onto the top and spun like a disc for the second time in the match. Eevee soon joined her, both mustering up a large gust of wind and flinging themselves toward Nihilego.

"SWIRLING DUSK AND DAWN TWISTER BLADE!" both shouted while Nihilego implied a smirk and said, "That move may have been effective before, but now it's nothing to me."

With that in mind, she focused hard enough to expand the muscles in her tentacles. She then spun toward them just like they were and built up a strong wind of her own, shouting, "MUSCULAR JELLYFISH CYCLONE!"

The crowd watched in awe when both attacks collided. But while Nihilego showed signs of pain at first, ultimately, her new strength was too much for Eevee and Umbreon to handle. As such, the black fox was sent flying toward the turnbuckle, her side making contact while Eevee's back hit the top.

The crowd watched in horror as Alika stated, "And it would seem Nihilego was not blowing smoke when she said she didn't need a partner anymore. She has just easily overpowered Eevee and Umbreon's first team move like it was nothing."

Lycanroc gasped, "Are you guys okay!?" Crabrawler clenching his fists and growling, "Come on! I know you can do it!"

Chanchai gulped nervously and uttered, "They can still win, right?" Flareon trembling and replying, "You know, after seeing that one counter, I'm starting to wonder that myself."

As parents, both knew they had to have confidence in their daughters. But even they could not deny that Nihilego was a true force to be reckoned with now. She was already a threat before, but now she seemed to be on the level of the most powerful villains in history, such as Groudon, Deoxys and Giratina.

Machop, however, still had confidence as she said, "Come on, Eevee, you can still win. Nihilego may be tough, but she's got nothing on Yveltal and Xerneas," Isamu replying, "Oh yeah, you and Giratina came really close to losing to them and yet you still won. I bet those two can easily do the same."

Eevee could not help but wonder if she and Umbreon could do that. While she was used to taking in extreme pain from her opponents, the fact that Nihilego had overpowered both of them combined was beyond alarming. However, she regained her confidence when Umbreon turned to her and smiled, saying, "Well, that was unexpected, but it's nothing we can't handle, right?"

The brown fox nodded and leapt toward Nihilego. Umbreon also covered her arms in her aura and raced forward. But while Eevee rolled up into a ball, Nihilego sighed, "As if that will work on me a second time," before swinging one tentacle into the fox and sending her careening toward her sister. And soon enough, she made contact with her chest before both fell on their backs.

The crowd watched in horror while Nihilego placed her leg tentacles together and spun toward the foxes like a drill. She then planted them both into Eevee's gut and shouted, "MUSCULAR JELLYFISH DRILL!" Eevee coughing up quite a bit of blood. And since Umbreon was right under the brown fox, she took in quite a bit of pain from the pressure as well.

"Oh my god," Lycanroc groaned, "This is just painful," while Crabrawler took many deep breaths and uttered, "It's fine. I just know they can turn this around. They're both amazing. They always get out of tight spots like these, right?"

While Eevee writhed in pain after Nihilego's attack came to a halt, Umbreon narrowed her eyelids and asked, "Are you okay, sis?"

The brown fox nodded and slowly climbed off of her sister, sighing, "I don't know how much longer I can last. I hate to say it, but, well, this might be out of our league. We can't even hit her anymore."

"Yes we can," Umbreon retorted as Eevee stared at her, "I noticed something about Nihilego when she used both of those moves. Just follow my lead and you'll see what I mean soon enough."

Eevee was just about to question this but took a deep breath and nodded her head. After all, she trusted Umbreon when it came to strategies. With that in mind, she held up a defensive stance while Nihilego folded her tentacles and sighed, "Well, I have to hand it to you, you really don't give up. But you're seriously wasting your time."

Umbreon smirked and remarked, "If that's true, why don't you just finish us off right now?" the jellyfish narrowing her eyelids and retorting, "I think I shall!"

She then flew toward the two with her tentacles at the ready. Umbreon turned to Eevee and said, "Now," both foxes speeding to the side, each going in the opposite direction. Nihilego noticed Umbreon racing back toward her with her aura covering her right arm. She also had that very arm folded inward in preparation for a karate chop.

With that in mind, the jellyfish readied her tentacle only for Umbreon to stop her attack and shift to the left. Nihilego then remembered Eevee who was currently sprinting toward her from behind. As such, she swung her arm backward only for the brown fox to kneel down on all fours and leap forward, ramming her skull into her gut.

The crowd gasped while Nihilego winced in pain. And it did not end there as Umbreon sent a karate chop into the side of her head, the foxes leaping up and following up their attacks with two rolling sobats. As if the fact she had taken in the hits was not enough, the jellyfish could not believe how much this hurt.

Even so, she ignored the pain and growled, "That was a lucky shot!" before swinging her tentacles toward both foxes. However, they once again managed to dodge her before Eevee latched onto one tentacle, Umbreon doing the same. They then lifted Nihilego up and leapt into the air, leaning backward and planting her skull into the canvas.

The crowd's shock turned to happiness as they all cheered and clapped wildly. Alika smiled and exclaimed, "Wow! Just as it looked like Eevee and Umbreon did not stand a chance, they gain the advantage back with speed and skill! That double brainbuster especially looked bad for Nihilego!"

Decidueye and Torracat both joined in with the applause while Crabrawler uttered, "Wow. I know they have a knack for that, but I didn't think that would work as well as it did," Lycanroc nodding and breathing a sigh of relief.

Nihilego flipped upright and breathed heavily, her eye twitching as she growled, "How did you-!?" only for Eevee to grin at Umbreon and say, "Now I see what you were referring to."

Umbreon nodded and explained, "It took me a while to notice it, Nihilego, but while you may have improved your strength significantly, you also made yourself slower. As such, all we needed to do was move quickly and think logically to get around your tactics."

"Goddammit!" Nihilego cursed with her tentacles rolled up into fists, "All this time, I wished I was as strong as Buzzwole, but it means nothing if I can't hit you anymore! If only I was as fast as Kartana or Pheromosa! Those two are so lucky!"

At that exact moment, the audience once again stared in shock while Buzzwole's form was replaced by Pheromosa's. As such, Nihilego's body and tentacles were more slender and elegant. However, she also sprouted a sixth pair of tentacles when what looked like Kartana's blades seemed to grow out of the artificial Pheromosa's shoulders.

Eevee and Umbreon stared in horror and confusion as Nihilego blinked and looked at her tentacles. And when she noticed arms just like that of Pheromosa inside of her middle ones, she smiled and said, "I can't believe it. I now have Pheromosa's speed, not to mention her beauty."

She then waved one tentacle through a hair-like formation on the back of her head and winked at the audience, asking, "Am I not irresistible now?"

The crowd had to admit that Pheromosa's form was pleasant to look at, but even so, they were much more concerned for Eevee and Umbreon. After all, while they could tell this new form was weaker, if she really was as fast as Pheromosa and Kartana now, the foxes were certainly in trouble.

Nihilego wasted no time leaping into the air with her tentacles spread out. She then spun like a pinwheel toward Eevee and Umbreon and shouted, "JELLYFISH SHURIKEN!"

Sure enough, neither fox was able to react, thus they both took a blow to the gut. Thanks to Nihilego's flesh, this did not cut them open, but it still dealt considerable pain. And it only got worse when she unloaded a barrage of rapid punches into their faces with a big grin on her artificial face.

"This is more like it!" she squealed while Alika stated, "And just as Eevee and Umbreon get the advantage back, they lose it thanks to Nihilego's boost in speed."

After delivering fifty strikes, Nihilego leapt into the air and sent rapid kicks into their faces, exclaiming, "BUTTER-FLYING FISH BARRAGE!"

"I don't know what's more painful, seeing Eevee and Umbreon suffer so much abuse or these uninspired attack names," Torracat groaned, Decidueye barking, "Come on, guys! This is nothing!"

After taking in a few hits, Eevee noticed this. After all, since Nihilego no longer had Buzzwole's strength, her attacks were much weaker. As such, she and Umbreon both latched onto her tentacles and lifted her up before slamming her back into the canvas.

The crowd cheered wildly while Nihilego sprang to her feet and sped toward the foxes. Seeing this, Eevee turned to Umbreon and grinned, saying, "This time, you'll follow my lead."

The black fox nodded with a smile and asked, "So, what did you have in mind?" as the brown fox leapt up and latched her legs to her shoulders. She then leaned forward and took hold of Umbreon's ankles. The black fox immediately understood where she was going with this and as such, both rolled toward Nihilego like a giant wheel, Umbreon covering herself and Eevee with her aura.

Nihilego gasped but was running too quickly to stop herself. As such, she took the incoming blow to her gut as Eevee and Umbreon shouted, "DARK FOX WHEEL!"

The crowd cheered wildly when the jellyfish landed on her back and coughed up a bit of blood. Flareon and Chanchai both cheered before breathing sighs of relief. As strange as it was, the orange fox really was worried when she saw Nihilego's new form. And yet despite all of that, Eevee and Umbreon were doing a good job overcoming each of them.

And of course, Machop and Isamu could not have been happier. They knew the foxes could turn things around and they were glad to know they were right.

In the hospital, Popplio had a light smile on his face as he once again envisioned all of this happening while he slept. He was especially proud of Eevee for having come up with a team move on her own. She never ceased to amaze him no matter what the circumstances were.

Back at the ring, Nihilego's new eyes and mouth were wide with terror while she thought, 'No. I may be faster now, but I'm also too weak. If only I could resist pain the same way Xurkitree, Celesteela and Guzzlord can. It's just not fair!'

Once again, the audience's cheers died down when Nihilego rose to her feet and a new form appeared within her body. This time, the fake body had Xurkitree's head, legs and hands, Celesteela's arms and Guzzlord's belly. As a result, her torso expanded in size while her tentacles were now rectangular.

Eevee stared in horror and uttered, "What the hell did you do to yourself?" as Nihilego looked down at her new belly and sighed, "Well, I may not be pleasant to look at anymore, but it doesn't matter. Now I have a strong resistance to all of your moves. Just try and hit me now."

Eevee blinked as Umbreon nodded and said, "Come on, I'm certain she just made herself even slower."

With that in mind, both foxes leapt toward Nihilego and sent flying kicks toward her gut. However, she immediately planted her foot tentacles into the canvas and shouted, "JELLYFISH POWER CHARGE!"

She then held her arm tentacles forward and blocked the incoming strikes. And sure enough, just like Xurkitree, she had filled herself with enough power to outdo them.

"Oh shit!" Decidueye gasped, "If she's anything like Xurkitree and Celesteela, she's also able to use long-ranged moves now!" Torracat gulping, "Those two might be in trouble now."

And it seemed so when black and purple energy formed on the ends of Nihilego's tentacles. Eevee and Umbreon were both terrified as she shouted, "JELLY CANNON!" unleashing two large blasts and sending the two careening into separate turnbuckles. And it only got worse when she stretched out her tentacles just like Guzzlord's tongue arms and wrapped them around the foxes, lifting them up and slamming the backs of their heads into the canvas.

Eevee and Umbreon coughed up blood while Alika groaned, "And once again, Nihilego gets the upper hand back with another transformation. This time, she seems to have become a fusion of Guzzlord, Xurkitree and Celesteela. How can Eevee and Umbreon get around this?"

"That's easy," Nihilego retorted, "They won't get around this, not this time. With this form, I can dish out strong attacks and take them as well. I may not have the speed I did before, but that hardly matters when my opponents can no longer hurt me."

Lycanroc turned toward Decidueye and Torracat, uttering, "Were Xurkitree and Celesteela that bad?" the cat nodding and hissing, "It was really tough defeating them. I imagine Guzzlord was no walk in the park for you, was he?" the wolf groaning, "Oh yeah, he was a nightmare."

She then remembered something and gasped, "Eevee, Umbreon!" the foxes slowly rising to their feet and turning toward her when she added, "I know Nihilego probably seems really heavy right now, but do you wanna know how I defeated Guzzlord!? I used my Midnight Suplex! In other words, despite his size and weight, I was able to lift him up!"

"Are you serious?" Nihilego retorted with irritation. As someone who had known Guzzlord for as long as she did, she had a lot of trouble believing this. But if it was true, then she might have very well been in trouble again.

She shook her head and thought, 'No, I won't let them pull that off!' and thus she pointed her upper arm tentacles toward the foxes and charged up more energy while stretching out the lower ones.

However, Eevee and Umbreon refused to let her land even more hits on them. As such, once the lower tentacles closed in, they both leapt up and landed on top of them. The crowd cheered while the foxes ran along them, Nihilego unleashing her blasts and shouting, "JELLY CANNON!"

Eevee and Umbreon waited for the energy to get close before leaping over it and flipping around. They then descended toward the jellyfish and planted their feet into her face. This provided just enough of a distraction for each one to latch her arms and legs onto one of the upper arm tentacles. Nihilego tensed up while they both used all their might to force her backward.

The area erupted with cheers and applause when the jellyfish's back made contact with the canvas. And sure enough, this did wind up hurting her immensely as she groaned in response. And it did not end there when Umbreon asked, "You think we can hit her with something a little more advanced?"

Eevee nodded and replied, "I'm sure of it," thus both foxes took hold of Nihilego's head. Umbreon used her powers of darkness to increase the strength of her arms while she used all her might to lift her up. Meanwhile, Eevee leapt up and latched onto her middle leg tentacles.

The cheers from the crowd were even louder as the foxes leapt into the air. Umbreon wrapped her legs around the jellyfish's head, her arms soon bound to her shoulder area while Eevee used as much strength as she needed to spin them all around, the two shouting, "BINDING DARK TWISTER!"

And sure enough, Nihilego's skull hit the canvas hard, thus she let out another groan. Eevee and Umbreon released their hold on her and allowed her to collapse a second time, the black fox breathing heavily and saying, "Wow, Lycanroc was right. We were able to lift her up."

Eevee gave her sister a thumb up with a big grin on her face, Alika saying, "And with their combined efforts, both sisters once again overcome Nihilego's new form. I have no doubt that even in her current state, she had to have felt that."

Crabrawler patted Lycanroc on the shoulder and said, "Good job," the wolf grinning nervously and replying, "All I did was tell them of my own experiences."

Needless to say, it truly seemed over when Nihilego lay there motionless. She was not even breathing anymore. Though a part of Eevee and Umbreon had a bit of trouble believing this. Had they really just ended the match for good?

Just as Alika was ready to announce it, silence filled the area when Nihilego started to twitch. She then pushed herself upright as her new form left her and her old one returned. She then turned toward the foxes and breathed heavily, her skin briefly turning green for whatever reason.

"Oh my god," she uttered as Eevee and Umbreon stood defensively, "I seriously can't believe how amazing you two are."

Both blinked and dropped their stances while Nihilego continued, "I see why you two have such a strong reputation. You're not the strongest on Earth, but you have incredible spirit and a great set of friends to give you advice when you need it. You're able to take in so much pain and keep getting up and overcoming whatever strengths your opponents have!"

She then knelt down and slammed her arm tentacles into the mat, shouting, "It's just not fair! I wish I could fight like you!"

Once again, a new form appeared inside of her, though this time, it was not of any of her allies. The crowd stared in horror while what appeared was a tall, slender black and purple fox that looked just like Umbreon. The major difference, though, was that her arms and legs were fluffier like Eevee's. Her regular form changed a little bit, but not by much. This time, it was taller and more slender, though her tentacles looked the same. The only major difference this time was that two long appendages that resembled Umbreon's ears grew out of her head.

Nihilego looked at the fake fox arms inside of her tentacles and beamed bright with her new face. That smile soon turned into a wicked smirk, though, as she laughed and shouted, "Yes! This is perfect! Now I have your powers! Now I truly have what it takes to be the best of the best!"

Alika had nothing to say to this while the crowd could not help but be afraid. On one hand, this new form looked weaker than the three previous ones, but on the other hand, it also gave off a really bad aura. The audience could just tell by looking at her new state that this new form could very well give her the advantage she needed all along.


	105. Chapter 105

Nihilego could not have felt more confident right now. After having every one of her new forms defeated, she had now become a fusion of Eevee and Umbreon. She had no doubt in her mind that she could win this match for good now.

"Yes, you two really are the greatest opponents I could have asked for," she stated with a maniacal grin, "Once I turn your own power against you and end you for good, the world will bow down to me! Then never again will I be seen as the weak link of the ultra beasts!"

Umbreon narrowed her eyelids and growled, "Seriously, there's no real reason for you to fight us anymore. Magearna was right. This cause you're fighting for doesn't even exist anymore. And now it seems you're just fuelled by jealousy! Do you even know what you'll do if you beat us and every other hero on the planet!?"

Eevee nodded and quipped, "Yeah, tell us! Give us details on your end goal," only for Nihilego to retort, "I don't have to answer to you!"

She then blinked and chuckled. That soon grew into heavy laughter as she pointed at them and spat, "Oh my god, this is just pathetic! You're just trying to get me to lower my guard because you know I'm strong enough to defeat you now!"

With that in mind, a dark-purple aura surrounded her tentacles as she raced toward the two. And sure enough, she was now almost as fast as when she took on Pheromosa and Kartana's forms. Once she was close enough, the foxes were unable to respond in time to avoid the incoming clotheslines to the neck. As such, they coughed up a bit of blood before Nihilego wrapped her tentacles around those very spots and lifted them both up, leaning backward and planting their skulls into the canvas.

The crowd watched in horror when she lifted Umbreon up and said, "Since you once defeated Eevee in the Olympics, I'll defeat you first with your own abilities!"

She then hurled Umbreon high into the air before flying up to her level and planted all eight of her tentacles into her back. She then tilted forward as her aura covered both of them and took the shape of a missile. Umbreon's skull hit the mat hard while the jellyfish shouted, "SOARING JELLY RAVEN!"

"UMBREON!" Eevee squeaked before leaping toward one of the sets of ropes still intact. She then pressed up against it and bounced off, rolling up into a ball and shouting, "FLYING FOX WHEEL!"

"That's nothing compared to what I can do!" Nihilego stated as she flew back into the ropes and bounced off with her new aura covering her whole body. She then rolled up into a ball as well and spat, "FLYING JELLYFISH WHEEL!"

Both fighters collided in the air while Alika asked, "Will Nihilego overpower Eevee just like she did in her Buzzwole state?" And sure enough, she managed to do just that, thus Eevee dropped her wheel-like state and flew backward, falling on her back and skidding across the mat.

Umbreon started to recover at this moment as she narrowed her eyelids and growled, "You may have our powers, but you can't win!" But when she headed forward, Nihilego turned herself sideways and spun toward her, shouting, "SWIRLING JELLYFISH BLADE!"

Umbreon gasped and took the blow to her gut before she could even respond. And this was all Nihilego needed when she noticed Eevee start to recover. Thus she latched onto Umbreon's shoulders and leaned backward, hurling the black fox over her head as she careened into Eevee and knocked her down with her.

"Yes!" Nihilego exclaimed with a big smile, "This power! This skill! I'm not as muscly as I was when I had Buzzwole's power, but I don't need that! I have a perfect balance of everything and a dark power that makes me stronger! I really am the best of the ultra beasts! I don't even need the others anymore! This world will bow down to me and only me!"

Umbreon and Eevee twitched and slowly rose up while the black fox uttered, "You alright, sis?" Eevee groaning, "Yeah, I should be okay."

However, she was terrified out of her mind. She had faced many types of opponents, but none of them could even compare to Nihilego. Every time they got close to defeating her, she took on a new, more threatening form. Not even Mapin was this dangerous.

Even so, she could not give up now. As such, she took a deep breath and said, "She may be tough, but we can still take her, right, Umbreon?"

Umbreon nodded and replied, "Exactly. She's relying on our moves, and no one knows them better than us. She may have caught us off guard, but we can still beat her."

With that in mind, both foxes raced toward Nihilego in opposite directions. They fully intended to take advantage of her the same way they did when she was in her Buzzwole state. But the jellyfish saw this coming, once again covered her tentacles in the dark-purple aura and watched them carefully.

Sure enough, Eevee was the first to launch a flying kick toward Nihilego. She shifted toward the brown fox and used her tentacles to block the incoming strike. Afterwards, she wrapped them around her ankles and swung her sideways into Umbreon before she could attempt to catch her off guard.

"Nice try, but that will not work," Nihilego stated with a smirk. She then soared toward the foxes and wrapped the tentacles around Eevee before she could recover. And afterwards, she spun in a circle and headed toward the turnbuckle, shouting, "BINDING JELLYFISH TWISTER!"

Sure enough, the brown fox's skull made contact with the pole as she coughed up blood. Umbreon rose up just in time to see this with her eyes wide with terror. She growled and leapt toward Nihilego from behind with her aura surrounding her entire body. This time, the jellyfish was unable to respond when the black fox wrapped her arms around her and tilted her sideways while facing backward.

"DARK CYCLONE!" she exclaimed while spinning like a drill. And sure enough, Nihilego's skull hit the turnbuckle opposite the one Eevee had just hit. But as soon as the crowd started to cheer, they stopped when they noticed the jellyfish ignore the pain with her aura now covering her head.

Nihilego smirked and said, "You may be strong, Umbreon, but something you need to realize is that I have your power combined with that of your sister and my original form. As such, I'm stronger than both of you combined."

Crabrawler watched in horror while the jellyfish wrapped her tentacles around Umbreon. She held on tightly as soon enough, the black fox winced in pain and released her own hold on her. Nihilego then flew into the air and lowered Umbreon so only her leg tentacles were bound to her arms. Afterwards, she leaned forward and took hold of the black fox's ankles, pulling them up so now her face was aimed straight at the canvas.

"If I'm not mistaken, this was the first signature move you used," Nihilego stated, "Too bad you wasted it on Magearna instead of using it on me. Then I might actually feel a bit weaker right now."

"COME ON, UMBREON, FIGHT IT!" Lycanroc spat while Umbreon tried her hardest to overpower Nihilego and flip her over. But it was just as the jellyfish said. Not only did she have both Umbreon and Eevee's power combined, but she also had a bit of her old strength left. It was as if the black fox had been trapped by three opponents instead of one.

Both descended toward the mat as Nihilego shouted, "JELLYFISH CRASH!" Umbreon's face hitting the surface hard. Blood dripped from her mouth and nostrils while she was released and her body collapsed. The crowd stared in horror as even Alika was unable to give an announcement.

To make matters worse, Eevee was unconscious after the blow she had taken in earlier. As such, it looked as if she and Umbreon had truly lost. And of course, fear and panic spread through the area while Nihilego folded her tentacles and looked down at Umbreon.

"It's a shame," she said with a sigh, "As I said before, my plan was to take you out first. But I guess it doesn't matter. A victory is still a victory in the end."

Flareon and Chanchai stared at the screen of their TV in stunned silence. It truly looked like it might very well be the end. After all, it was not as if their daughters had never lost before.

Of course, Machop and Isamu both held each other's hands and watched with concern. While Eevee and Umbreon had impressed them so far, how could they stand up to Nihilego in her current state?

Mantarina trembled before noticing Caterpie turning in his sleep. She rubbed his head and said, "It's okay, they'll be fine. This is just a setback, that's all."

Chespin was also having trouble sleeping. If he had not been so badly injured before, he would have recovered enough to watch the match right now. But he could just feel that Eevee and Umbreon were in trouble.

Primarina, all the while, clasped onto her cheeks and gasped, "Oh no! If only Popplio was there! He would have made sure this didn't happen!" only for Ames to pat her on the shoulder and reply, "I'm sure they'll be fine. And if they lose, Popplio will recover instantly and race over to the ring to finish the job."

The seal let out a sigh and said, "It is wishful thinking, but that would be incroyable."

Lycanroc shook her head and whimpered, "It can't be over yet," Crabrawler nodding and replying, "Exactly. They'll just get up again and kick her arse into next week! And if they don't, then I'll go in there myself and make sure Nihilego pays!"

Decidueye nodded and replied, "I hear that. I know the agreement was just this one match, but I'm willing to break that if it means saving mankind," Torracat adding, "Same here."

Nihilego heard this and smirked, quipping, "You know what? I'd be okay with this. It's not like Magearna's awake to stop me from changing our plans, anyway. Besides, I could use more targets to test out my new abilities on."

While Eevee rested against the turnbuckle with her eyes closed, she imagined herself running through a graveyard with the grim reaper chasing after her. Her eyes were wide with shock as she shouted, "HOLD ON! I'M NOT DEAD YET!"

She then tripped on a tombstone and fell forward, her chin hitting the ground hard while the reaper closed in on her. But just before he could drive his scythe into her back, the fox was surprised when she felt nothing. And when she turned, sure enough, Mapin had entered the area and knocked the reaper unconscious.

Eevee stared in shock and uttered, "Mapin?" the girl turning to face her with a light smile. The brown fox's eyes sparkled as she squealed, "You didn't really die after all! This is awesome! Thank god! Now you can hang out with us and everything!"

"Calm down," Mapin retorted, "This is all in your head. I really am dead. I'm simply projecting my spirit into your mind right now."

Eevee blinked and uttered, "You know, this wouldn't be the first time something like this has happened to me," before groaning, "But I really wish you were here right now! Seriously, you didn't have to kill yourself! We would have gladly accepted you back into the group! Even if you didn't fight evil with-"

Mapin held out her hand and sighed, "I know. Killing myself had to be the second-stupidest thing I've ever done in my life with turning on you and Popplio being the absolute worst. I caused you so much suffering, and I don't think even a million apologies could make up for that."

She then knelt down a gave Eevee a hug, sniffing, "You were such a good friend. I'm so sorry," as the brown fox smiled and patted her on the back. And once they were done, Mapin rested her middle hands on Eevee's shoulders and said, "Anyway, I believe you have a match to get back to."

Eevee looked down and sighed, "I don't know. It's just, well, I've defeated so many tough opponents, but-"

"But nothing!" Mapin retorted with a stern look on her face, "Seriously, you managed to overpower me, and I have big muscles and six arms! Seriously, if you can pull that off, you can defeat Nihilego! Think about it! She only became a real threat when she started using other people's power! If that's the only way she can get the upper hand in battle, that's just pathetic!"

Eevee stared briefly before the girl added, "Think about it, Eevee. You started off a big loser just like me, and yet you rose your way to the top using your own strength, taking your family's skills and making them your own. Plus, I watched you train yesterday, and I saw you pull off something truly incredible. Now are you just gonna sit against that turnbuckle until Alika announces your loss or are you going to show Nihilego what true fighting spirit can do?"

Eevee sported a more serious look and nodded her head. With that, she and Mapin pounded their fists together. And back in reality, Eevee opened her eyes and pushed herself up, growling, "Don't think you've won yet, Nihilego! I've still got plenty of fight left in me!"

Nihilego stared silently while even the crowd could not believe what they were seeing. Alika was only seconds away from announcing the jellyfish's victory, but now it seemed the world still had a bit of hope left.

However, as quickly as Nihilego's surprise came, it left her when she smirked and said, "This is just pitiful. You're so desperate to cling onto your freedom that you don't know how to accept defeat. Seriously, look at how strong I am," her new aura covering her tentacles, "No matter what you do, you can't defeat me. You didn't notice this because you were out cold, but your sister used one of her most powerful moves on me and it barely hurt."

Eevee's eyes widened when suddenly, she remembered what Mapin's spirit had told her. As such, she shook her head and narrowed her eyelids, retorting, "It doesn't matter! It's like we told you before! We don't give up no matter what comes our way!"

With that in mind, she sprinted toward Nihilego on all fours. The jellyfish covered her entire body in her aura and flew toward the brown fox. But once she was close enough, Eevee leapt into the air and spun herself around, mounting herself onto Nihilego's back. The crowd watched in awe as she wrapped her arms around her and tilted her ears forward, flapping them back and increasing their speed.

"FLYING FOX PROPELLER CRASH!" Eevee squealed when Nihilego's skull hit the turnbuckle hard. She was shocked by how much this hurt as the brown fox continued to hold onto her. She then flipped onto her back and planted her feet hard into the jellyfish's.

Once again, Nihilego could not believe that Eevee was able to pull this off. As if that was not enough, her aura started to flicker as she thought, 'What!? What's going on!?'

Eevee then performed a handstand, the crowd's excitement growing while Alika exclaimed, "Things looked hopeless, but Eevee has managed to turn things around with her legendary fighting spirit!"

Eevee propelled herself high into the air and spun her body like a drill. And once close enough, she sent her feet into Nihilego's back a second time thus sending her higher into the air. Just like before, the jellyfish found herself strangely unable to fight back, but why?

It all became clear when Eevee rose up to her height again and wrapped her legs around her neck. She then thought, 'Remember your training in the mountains.'

She remembered how after using multiple rocks as target practice, she managed to pull off something completely unexpected on what she saw as the perfect one right before she headed off to join the others. Now was the time to use it for its intended purpose.

As such, she used all her might to force Nihilego down so her skull was pointed downward, her back facing Eevee's. The brown fox then rose her body up and latched onto the jellyfish's middle leg tentacles. The crowd's eyes lit up while she spun vertically like a wheel going in reverse.

"Wow!" Lycanroc exclaimed with a big smile, "Go for it, Eevee! You're awesome!" Crabrawler shouting, "Yeah! You got her now! Finish her off!"

Decidueye and Torracat nodded before chanting, "Eevee! Eevee!" the others joining in followed by the crowd. Even Alika could not resist the urge to join in with the chant.

Umbreon woke up at this exact moment as she saw this, her eyes and mouth wide with shock. She then stood upright and thought, 'Oh my god. Did she-?'

Nihilego tried her hardest to escape, but no matter what she did, she could not. Her eyes widened as she thought, 'I don't get it. I'm stronger than her. I should be able to escape from this. This is so unfair!'

Once the two were less than a second away from the canvas, Eevee could briefly see Chespin, Caterpie and Popplio's spirits in the crowd. Cyndaquil and Scorchicken also appeared next to them with big smiles on their faces. All five gave her a round of applause while Nihilego's skull hit the canvas hard, Eevee shouting, "FLYING FOX METEOR!"

Nihilego coughed up blood as her fake body vanished. Her real one returned to normal and thus Eevee released her hold and allowed her to collapse. The area erupted with cheers and applause while Alika bit her lower lip and smiled wide, shouting, "And with a move never seen from the Chimlin family before, Eevee has defeated Nihilego and saved the world!"

Eevee breathed heavily with a big smile when she noticed Umbreon walking toward her. She was taken slightly aback when the black fox rested her paws on her shoulders and said, "I can't believe it. Just when I don't think you can surprise me further, you go and create your own finishing move behind my back."

Eevee smiled nervously and replied, "Yeah," as her sister held her in a tight embrace. The brown fox smiled lightly and returned the gesture, the cheers only getting louder.

Crabrawler took a deep breath and said, "I can't believe it's finally over," Lycanroc nodding with a light smile and patting him on the shoulder.

However, the cheers came to a halt when everyone noticed Nihilego start to twitch. But in the end, she was unable to get up as she sniffed. If she had real eyes, everyone would have seen tears when she groaned, "Why? Why is someone as small as you so strong!?"

Eevee let out a sigh and remarked, "Look, Nihilego, you said before the match that I wouldn't know what it's like to be the weak link of a team, but I do. When I first started my career here on Earth, I was a weakling. My first victory was a fluke, and this was made clear when I lost my second fight."

The jellyfish could not believe this as Eevee added, "But I kept training and working hard to make myself stronger than I look. I also have great friends who helped me get better."

Umbreon nodded and sighed, "We weren't lying earlier when we said the world has changed. If you can accept that you were wrong, we would gladly give you a chance, and so would the people of the world. Besides, we could use someone like you on the side of good."

"But why?" Nihilego retorted, "In my normal state, I'm weak! All this time, I wanted to believe I was just as strong as the others, but-"

"But nothing," Eevee retorted, "If someone as scrawny as me can become strong, so can you," the jellyfish staring at her briefly before losing consciousness for good.

And with all said and done, everything had come to a close. It had been a long and hard struggle, but in the end, Eevee and her friends came out on top.


	106. Chapter 106

It had been a month since Eevee and Umbreon defeated Nihilego, and during this time, quite a bit had happened. With the defeat of the ultra beasts, many other villains in the world were afraid to initiate their plans. And while some went into hiding, others turned themselves into Hero Planet's government while swearing to turn over a new leaf once they were released.

The most major thing that happened was that the six ultra beasts who were still alive turned to the side of good. They all missed Kartana and wished he could have been alive to become good along with them, but they knew this was for the best.

Both Buzzwole and Pheromosa were officially married almost immediately after they turned good. Afterwards, they took it upon themselves to travel the world and help those in need, including fellow heroes who were having trouble with the forces of evil. And since both were fast, this was easy for them to do without the need for any vehicles.

Xurkitree got himself a job at a power plant in Tokyo. That way, he would always have a source of power to feed his thirst for electricity. Not only that, but he could also save up money to afford as many electronics as he could handle.

Celesteela got an office job close to her new home downtown. After all, hard physical labour was not something she excelled at or took interest in. And during that time, she and Xurkitree developed feelings for one-another and started dating, though most of their dates involved the cable collection going to the bamboo shoot's house to watch TV with her.

Guzzlord got a job at a kitchen. After all, he enjoyed the taste of manufactured food much more than that of human flesh. Of course, it took a while for him to get used the fact that he could only eat during breaks, but he was just glad that as long as he was at work, he would not have to pay for his dinner.

Nihilego had the most trouble fitting in, though. Despite Eevee and Umbreon having reassured her that the people would be willing to give her a chance, she still felt nervous. But after a month, she finally came to grips with the fact that society really had changed and someone like her could be accepted.

Of course, Magearna decided to become an official citizen of Tokyo as well. After all, it was thanks to Eevee and Umbreon that she saw the light, so she wanted to at least live near one of them. And of all the former villains, she was the most quickly accepted by society.

Unfortunately, the same could not be said for Necrozma, Solgaleo and Lunala. All three were under the impression that their goals were right. As such, they would spend their lives behind bars.

One day, Eevee decided to call everyone up to hang out at the Tokyo Day Club. Since Tokyo had so many new heroes living in it, no one dared to challenge them again, so any time was perfect for them.

Around noon, the fox and Popplio waited out front dressed in a black T-shirt and a red top respectively until Caterpie and Lycanroc arrived in their limo. The caterpillar emerged with his fancy suit on and bowed his head, saying, "After you, madam," the wolf snickering, "You know you don't need to be so formal with me."

Chespin arrived shortly after and asked, "So, are the others here yet?" Eevee replying, "Not quite, though they should be here shortly. Apparently, Xurkitree and Celesteela are taking the bus, you know, since Celesteela doesn't like moving around very much."

"Xurkitree must have the patience of a saint to deal with that," Chespin groaned as soon enough, Guzzlord arrived with Nihilego and said, "Hey, guys."

The others turned and waved to the two, the jellyfish lightly returning the gesture. Once again, Nihilego had a new form inside of her, only now it was that of a lovely young purple and blue girl with long hair. It seemed making friends with humans naturally allowed her to have this form now, and unlike the others, this was permanent and did not effect her outer body.

Upon seeing her and Guzzlord, Popplio smiled and said, "Bonjour, mes amis. How are you on this bien day?"

Guzzlord blinked while Nihilego replied, "We're both fine. I'm just so happy to finally come to this club of yours. Finally I'll get to see why you all love it so much," the demon scratching the side of his real head and groaning, "I'll never understand French."

With all said and done, the group decided they may as well enter and wait for Xurkitree and Celesteela to arrive. Guzzlord waited for the others to go in before expelling air and making himself thinner. This allowed him to enter the building without taking up too much space.

The group sat down for a round of drinks while Nihilego looked around and said, "I see. It's very simple but very inviting. I can see why you enjoy this," before sipping a Japanese ice tea and adding, "The drinks here are rather nice too."

Eevee nodded and replied, "Yeah. This place really is the best. This is where the Mach family and their friends used to hang out all the time," the jellyfish shrugging her shoulders. She was still yet to do research on past heroes, so she still did not know what the big deal with the Mach family was.

Guzzlord tossed his drink into his mouth and said, "And to think, if we took over the world, I probably wouldn't enjoy beverages like these," Chespin staring at him and uttering, "I'm still not used to you with that thin look."

Nihilego then smiled at him and asked, "How's Litwick lately?" Chespin replying, "She's been good. Turns out she's planning to stop by with a visit soon. Noivern's gonna stay in Edmonton just in case, but once she arrives, we'll have a whole week to do whatever we want."

Eevee nodded and grinned, saying, "It's great you get to see her every now and then," the chipmunk remarking, "Yeah, unlike you who gets to see her boyfriend all the time."

Popplio and Eevee laughed while Chespin shrugged his shoulders and took a sip of his own drink. All the while, Caterpie enquired, "By the way, Eevee, has Crabrawler confessed to Umbreon yet?" the fox sighing, "Not yet, though he told me he'd send me a message letting me know when he did. The funny thing is, he might not be the one to say anything. Umbreon just recently sent me a text asking me for dating advice."

The others looked at her with their eyes wide open. They could not believe it. Could it be that Umbreon had developed feelings for Crabrawler or was it someone else?

However, the silence broke when Xurkitree and Celesteela finally arrived. The cable collection took a deep breath and waved to the others, he and the bamboo shoot approaching them.

Five minutes later, they were up at the karaoke machine singing a duet while the others cheered them on. Celesteela smiled once the song was over while Xurkitree said, "You have a beautiful singing voice. Why don't you use it more?"

"Well, I never thought of it as that good," the bamboo shoot replied with her cheeks beet red, Eevee and Popplio smirking and going up after them.

All the while, Lycanroc and Nihilego were in the midst of a game of billiards while Caterpie watched them from the sidelines. The jellyfish hit the white ball but only managed to move it slightly as she groaned, "I'll never get the hang of this."

Lycanroc chuckled and said, "Don't sell yourself short. You'll get it," before setting down her pole and walking behind Nihilego. She then took hold of her tentacles and guided them into place, stating, "Alright, now try it."

The jellyfish sent the pole forward and gasped when the white ball rolled into the red striped one and knocked it into one of the four holes. She then smiled wide and asked, "Do you think I could do that on my own?" Lycanroc nodding and replying, "Hell yeah you can. Come on, give it another go."

Caterpie approached the two and said, "You look like you're having fun," as Lycanroc and Nihilego nodded and continued their game. And all the while, the jellyfish took a deep breath and thought, 'And just think, I almost gave all of this up.'

Eevee and Popplio had just finished their own duet while the others applauded them. Both bowed their heads before taking their seats. Xurkitree, meanwhile, looked at his phone and said, "Hey, Buzzwole and Pheromosa just uploaded a couple of photos. I didn't know they were in Venice."

And sure enough, the others gathered around to see the pictures of the mosquito and cockroach posing with a gondola rower crouched in front of them. Eevee smiled and sighed, "I wish they were here right now. Then they could hang out with us too."

Suddenly, everyone looked up when a certain cyborg arrived and said, "Sorry I'm late, guys," everyone turning with big smiles and shouting, "Hi, Magearna!"

While she had been living in Tokyo for a month, much like Nihilego, it was still hard for Magearna to believe she had so many friends. But regardless, she had just as great of a time as everyone else did. She tried out everything there was to offer, and since she was a cyborg, she could consume beverages without any problems.

After a couple of hours, Magearna sat in the lounge area with the others and said, "I know I've said this a lot, but I really have to thank all of you," the others staring at her as she added, "It really means a lot that you all consider me a friend after everything I did."

"Hey, it's alright," Chespin remarked with a shrug, "You were being manipulated," Lycanroc nodding and adding, "Trust me, I know what that's like."

"Still," Magearna murmured, "I let Necrozma take advantage of me," only for Popplio to remark, "Oui, but you realized your mistake. That's all that really matters in the end. Either way, you're a bon ami. Never forget that you're always welcome to join us for anything."

Nihilego nodded and sighed, looking back to when she decided to turn good. Needless to say, confronting Magearna after what she had done to her during their match was beyond awkward. And even after a whole month, she still felt like she did not deserve to be forgiven as easily as she was.

Even so, today was a happy day. As such, she smiled and rose a glass, saying, "Let us toast to friendship," the others nodding and exclaiming, "To friendship!" clinging their glasses together.

And so the next few years went by swimmingly. Eevee and Popplio finally got married at the age of twenty and decided to live in the seal's house seeing as that was much nicer than the fox's suite. And of course, their parents arrived for the wedding as did Crabrawler and Umbreon, who, as suspected, did ultimately start dating themselves.

Chespin and Litwick were not far behind. Though the chipmunk agreed to move to Edmonton with her. In the end, the others were okay with this.

Celesteela and Xurkitree followed soon after. And it was not long until Crabrawler and Umbreon tied the knot as well. Needless to say, there were certainly a lot of happy couples in Japan.

Caterpie and Lycanroc, all the while, were to return to Hero Planet for their marriage. After a very fancy wedding, to which everyone was invited, Metapod offered to make the caterpillar the next chairman. In the end, he ultimately refused, and while no one could believe this decision, Metapod and Mantarina both accepted his wishes. The last thing Caterpie wanted was to spend most of his days in an office away from his dearly beloved. As such, someone else would one day replace Metapod.

Though despite that, Caterpie and Lycanroc both agreed to live on Hero Planet regardless. It was a nice place, so the wolf was more than happy with this.

And they were not the only ones. Noivern one day found himself a nice young goth woman named Candace. Needless to say, they both hit it off pretty well.

Cyndaquil wound up with a nice young man named Gamon. And Scorchicken got herself a husband by the name of Jerry. In the end, both were very happy.

Even Torracat and Decidueye found their own mates eventually. Their friends were surprised to hear this, especially since all this time, they truly believed the cat and owl would end up together.

Even Nihilego settled down when she met the love of her life. He was a businessman named Kazuo. And while he was nervous when he first met her, it was not long until the two hit it off really well, ultimately having their own wedding.

While Palossand spent the rest of his days single, Salazzle and Turtonator eventually found their own mates. And even Wishiwashi of all heroes lucked out when he visited England one day and met Gorebyss. Luckily, she had gotten over her loss to Crabrawler at this point, so him being friends with the crab was not as awkward as one would have expected.

Three more years passed while all of them eventually got regular Earth jobs. Eevee and Popplio naturally became entertainers. After all, it only made sense for them.

Since Caterpie was not the chairman of Hero Planet, he became the owner of his own factory. There, he and his employees made products designed for comfort, such as pillows, mattresses and easy chairs. And all the while, Lycanroc did not get a job. After all, they had a son and daughter that she needed to take care of. The son was a red caterpillar named Wurmple and the daughter was a brown puppy named Rockruff.

Chespin got a job selling candles online that Litwick created manually. And both were successful enough that they did not need to find anything else. After all, both wanted to be home to take care of their own daughter, a living chandelier aptly named Chandelure.

Umbreon went on to work as a gym teacher while Crabrawler became a fisherman. But of course, he soon went on to work for a big company when he and Umbreon had their own child. He was a cross between a horsehair crab and a yeti and his name was Crabominable.

Of course, it was only a matter of time until Eevee would have to take a long break from entertaining when she one day became pregnant. And after nine months, she was in the hospital. The wait was long, but soon enough, she was cradling her new daughter while she and Popplio smiled at her sweetly.

Their baby was a light blue fox with only two paws and a tail like that of a mermaid. She had a white ruff around her neck and three fins around her head made from webbing. With a ridge that went all the way down her back, Eevee knew exactly what to call her.

"Hello, Vaporeon," she said with a sweet smile as the blue fox placed her paw up against her nose, Popplio adding, "Welcome to Tokyo, ma fille."

Seven years later, Eevee and the others met up for a visit. That meant all of those living outside of Tokyo took a flight to Tokyo, and of course, they were happy to do it.

They were out at Shinjuku Gyoen where they set up for a barbecue. Of course, Guzzlord was the one preparing everything as Nihilego watched him and said, "It really amazes me how much restraint you have now," the demon replying, "Yeah, same here."

Kazuo was currently mingling with the other ultra beasts while the jellyfish sighed, "I really wish Kartana could be here with us. I'm sure he would have accepted this, even with his vengeful nature."

Buzzwole and Pheromosa were both posing for photos with Xurkitree taking each one and saying, "Isn't it great that we live in an age where we can take multiple pictures in a flash? I really should visit Hero Planet's prison and thank Necrozma for that, even if he wouldn't be happy to see us."

Celesteela chuckled in response to this and sighed, "I'd rather not see him again," Magearna nodding and replying, "Same. I like being with you guys and seeing him would just bring back bad memories."

She briefly looked back to when she used to serve evil but perked up when Wurmple invited her to play with him and the other kids. As such, she beamed bright and went to join them, Eevee smiling sweetly and saying, "They all get along so well, don't they?"

Popplio nodded and watched Vaporeon perform a handstand with only one paw, the others clapping in amazement. Umbreon watched this and said, "You know, Eevee, I still can't believe you had such a cute daughter."

"And what is that supposed to mean?" the brown fox retorted with her arms folded, the black fox laughing and ruffing the fur atop her head, saying, "Come on, you know I didn't mean that."

Cyndaquil walked over with her husband, a man named Mitsuo, and said, "There you are, Eevee," Mitsuo smiling and holding out his hand, saying, "So you're Eevee. Cyndaquil won't stop talking about you. It's a real pleasure to finally meet you."

"Yeah, finally is right," Eevee replied jokingly with a grin before shaking his hand, "Cyndaquil's been telling me a lot about you as well."

Mitsuo tensed up and uttered, "Are they good things?" the shrew nudging him on the side before he laughed nervously.

Noivern watched his son, a purple bat named Noibat, play with the other kids like a hawk. However, he calmed down when Candace rested a hand on his shoulder and sighed, "Seriously, he's not going to hurt himself. Don't forget, he has a badass father, remember?" the bat laughing nervously and replying, "Yeah, you're right," shooting her a proud grin.

Chespin and Litwick of course joined Magearna in playing with the children while Caterpie and Lycanroc watched Wurmple and Rockruff. The caterpillar let out a sigh and said, "You know, no matter how much time goes by, I still can't believe I met someone as amazing as you. And look at that, two wonderful kids."

Lycanroc nodded and replied, "I know. I often feel the same way. Who would have ever guessed my true love would be a small disgusting bug?" the two sharing a laugh as Rockruff looked over at them and groaned, "Ew, they're having an adult moment."

Wurmple let out a sigh and groaned, "Just ignore them," when a human boy named Ben asked, "Hey, we're gonna play battle tag. Wanna join us?" both exclaiming, "Heck yes!"

Ben was Scorchicken and Jerry's son. Both watched him while the chicken exclaimed, "Kick their butts!" Jerry adding, "Show no mercy, Ben!"

After a while, Xurkitree set up a big camera and exclaimed, "Hey, everyone! We're gonna take a group photo! Come on over!"

And sure enough, everyone huddled together for one big photo. Needless to say, they could not have been happier.

Note: To all of you who read all the way through this, thank you. As you can tell from my profile, this is the longest fic I have ever written. In fact, there was a time when I would have been unable to finish a story this long. Heck, I almost didn't finish the first one.

And if you've been following this ever since that particular instalment, I have to give you an extra special thank you. As you can probably tell, I was super passionate about this one. Crossing over Kinnikuman with Pokemon was something I'd always wanted to see and I just had this feeling I would be the only one to ever try it, let alone come up with the idea. I don't consider these stories perfect, but out of all the fics I've written, all four of these are by far my personal favourites.

Now, The reason I'm writing all of this out is partly because I intend on making this the last Earth's Protectors. I was considering a prequel to the first one, but honestly, I feel like I've devoted enough time to this series. But at the same time, I won't hold myself to that plan because, well, I originally wasn't going to make a followup to the first Earth's Protectors.

To anyone who's read The Ultimate World Team Tournament, you'll notice in the opening disclaimer that I mentioned how that one was originally going to be the first story's final arc but after going so long without updating that one, I decided against it. But I ultimately wound up making the arc because not only did I have so many ideas for it, but I also saw it as a good opportunity to give the side characters some much-needed attention. (Especially Smeargle) I also wasn't planning on making Earth's Protectors II, but I had a lot of ideas for what to do with Machop and what kinds of friends she would make and went from there.

As for Earth's Protectors III, unlike the other sequels, this one I ultimately decided to make half a year before I started on it, very shortly after I saw most of the Pokemon ideas for Sun and Moon. I came up with a lot of ideas during that time, such as not having a Mach be the main character and making the lead more flawed and physically weaker than those of the past. In short, this one probably had the most planning put into it. And, well, making all of these ideas a reality feels so satisfying.

As for Eevee being chosen as the main lead, well, I picked her for two reasons. One, she's practically the staple for normal type Pokemon. If there is just one normal type to make the main character, it's her. As for why I chose a normal type, I wanted to go for the most basic and, ahem, 'weakest' typing as the main lead so that way when she rose her way to the top, it would be even more impressive and maybe even inspiring.

That was also a big part of my thought process when picking the other main leads. I mostly went with first form Pokemon this time around as I felt they would make for more interesting heroes who would have to undergo more development. (Especially Caterpie) The only exception was Lycanroc, and, well, I mainly just really wanted a Lycanroc as part of the main cast, and the midnight form is my personal favourite, so that's the one I went with. (That and it's more unexpected for the psychotic zombie-like wolf to be one a main protagonist while the day time form was the true villain of the group)

Anyway, again, thank you so much for all of those who stuck with this story to the end. If you only read this one, it's awesome that you stuck with it for over a hundred chapters. If you've actually been following this whole series from the first Earth's Protectors and onward, major kudos. Anyway, that's all I have to say. I really hope you enjoyed the fic and if you didn't, um, not sure why you'd have stuck with it long enough to see this message.


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